While more than 90 per cent of us breathe air that exceeds safe pollution guidelines, fruit might offer some protection, new research suggests.
Eating plenty of fruit could help shield women's lungs from the harmful effects of air pollution, with those who eat four or more portions of fruit daily experiencing less lung damage when exposed to dirty air compared to those who eat less fruit.
Scientists at the University of Leicester made the discovery during a major study of around 200,000 people from the UK Biobank, presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Amsterdam.
The research team measured lung function by looking at how much air people could breathe out in one second.
Eating plenty of fruit could help shield women's lungs from the harmful effects of air pollution
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They also tracked exposure to tiny pollution particles called PM2.5, which come from car exhaust and factories.
They found that when pollution levels increased, women who ate lots of fruit saw their lung function drop by just 57.5ml.
Women who ate less fruit, however, experienced a bigger decline of 78.1ml, marking a significant difference.
PhD student Pimpika Kaewsri, who led the research, explained that the protective effect was clear in women but not in men.
It's thought that natural compounds in fruit might be the secret weapon here. Fruit is packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory substances that could help fight the damage caused by pollution particles.
These compounds might reduce the stress and inflammation that dirty air causes in our lungs.
Interestingly, the research showed that men typically ate less fruit than women in the study, which might explain why the protective benefits only showed up in women.
Kaewsri explained: "This may be partly explained by the antioxidant and anti-inflammation compounds naturally present in fruit."
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Natural compounds in fruit might be the secret weapon
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The research has sparked important discussions about public health policy. Professor Sara De Matteis from the University of Turin, who wasn't involved in the study, welcomed the findings but stressed that eating fruit shouldn't be seen as a substitute for tackling pollution.
"A healthy plant-rich diet should be promoted in the population starting from primary school," she said.
But she warned that not everyone has equal access to fresh fruit due to economic constraints.
Most importantly, De Matteis STRESSED that governments must continue working to reduce air pollution levels.
"This does not exempt governments from continuing with environmental policies to reduce air pollution to as low as possible, given there are no safe exposure levels," she explained.
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