A study presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress found that eating fruit may help reduce the harmful effects of air pollution on lung function, particularly in women. Using UK Biobank data from approximately 200,000 participants, researchers compared dietary patterns with lung function measurements (FEV1) and exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5), finding that women who consumed four or more portions of fruit daily experienced smaller reductions in lung function from air pollution compared to those with lower fruit intake. The protective effect may be due to antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds in fruit that help counter oxidative stress and inflammation caused by air pollution. However, the study noted that men generally reported lower fruit intake than women, which may explain why the protective effect was only observed in women. Experts emphasized that while a healthy diet rich in fruit should be promoted, this does not absolve governments of their responsibility to implement environmental policies that reduce air pollution to the lowest possible levels.
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