10 Foods for Healthy Lungs

美国国立卫生研究院网站Medlineplus报道说，每天，您每天都使用肺部呼吸约25,000次。肺部疾病，例如癌症，肺炎，慢性阻塞性肺部疾病和哮喘可以限制您的身体吸收氧气的能力，所有细胞都需要发挥作用。为了使肺部处于tiptop状态，请遵循健康的饮食，充满新鲜食物。一些用于肺部健康的最佳食物包括南瓜，木瓜，菠菜，羽衣甘蓝，黄辣椒，番石榴，黑豆，小扁豆，野生鲑鱼和芦丝土豆。

Specific members of the carotenoid family of phytonutrients may help prevent lung cancer, reports the Linus Pauling Institute. Phytonutrients are compounds that occur in plant foods, giving them their bright hues. In particular, beta-cryptoxanthin and a combination of lutein and zeaxanthin show promise in protecting against lung cancer. Pumpkin has the highest concentration of beta-cryptoxanthin, with papayas second. To get the most lutein and zeaxanthin, add the leafy greens spinach and kale to your diet.

You probably turn to vitamin C when you have a cold, but research shows that intake of this antioxidant also has benefits for pneumonia, a common lung infection. In a review of five studies published in the "Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine" in 2007, researchers found that vitamin C intake had a preventive effect on pneumonia in three of the studies, and a therapeutic effect in the other two. If you only eat oranges for vitamin C, it's time to reassess your choices. For the most vitamin C per serving, choose yellow bell peppers and guava.

Boosting your intake of foods containing folate, a B vitamin, may also help protect your lungs from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, a term that covers a variety of lung conditions, including emphysema, chronic bronchitis and some forms of asthma. A study of adults with COPD published in the "Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition" in 2010 found that breathlessness from the condition is associated with a low intake of dietary folate. Researchers concluded that increased folate intake could benefit lung function overall. The two foods highest in dietary folate per serving are black beans and lentils.

Like folate, vitamin B-6 is associated with better lung function overall and protection against lung cancer in particular. In a study published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association" in 2010, researchers looked at more than 385,000 blood samples from male smokers and nonsmokers and discovered a lower risk of lung cancer in those with higher B-6 elevations in their blood. To incorporate good B-6 sources into your diet for healthy lungs, look to wild salmon and russet potatoes.