Increasing fruit intake may boost your chances
Jump to full article: BBC Online, 2002-07-31
Intro: Smoking makes you prone to serious chest illnesses - but eating plenty of fruit and vegetables is likely to cut the risk, say experts.
Scientists have always wondered why some heavy smokers fall ill as a result of their habit, but others stay in reasonably good health.
It is suspected that genes may play a role, along with diet and other lifestyle factors.
Evidence to support the diet link was published this week in the European Respiratory Journal.
A study of 300 smokers, who were all over 45 years old and had smoked the equivalent of a pack of 20 cigarettes a day for a decade, found that it appeared to have a significant influence.
The risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - a progressive and incurable combination of bronchitis and emphysema - dropped by more than half when smokers ate more than 121 grams of fruit and vegetables a day.
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