Eating a Mediterranean diet halves the risk of serious lung disease like emphysema and bronchitis, a TV channel reported on May 15 citing a new study. Group under the umbrella term chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), they are expected to become the world's third leading cause of death by 2020.
The researchers, from the French research institute Inserm, found that a Mediterranean diet was associated with a 50 percent lower risk of developing COPD than the Western diet - even after taking factors such as smoking and age into account. The study suggests the key could be that the Mediterranean diet is rich in anti-oxidants, which reduce the risk of tissue inflammation. Alternatively, lower levels of sugar and nitrates in the diet - both of which have been linked to impaired lung function - may play a role. People in the Mediterranean eat lots of fruit, vegetables, whole grains and fish.