A diet rich in whole grains, polyunsaturated fats and nuts can lower the risk of COPD by up to a third, a BMJ study reports.

The study compared the AHEI-2010 diet scores of more than 120,000 US health professionals. A higher score reflects higher intakes of fruit, vegetables, wholegrains and lower intakes of red and processed meats.

The researchers discovered that the risk of newly diagnosed COPD was one third lower in those with the highest AHEI score compared to those with the lowest score after adjusting for confounders like BMI, age and smoking.

Although efforts to prevent COPD should continue to focus on smoking cessation, these prospective findings support the importance of a healthy diet in multi-interventional programs to prevent COPD, they said.

“Our results encourage clinicians to consider the potential role of the combined effect of foods in a healthy diet in promoting lung health”.

“Although a single study is unlikely to change clinical practice, our paper provides further support for non-traditional risk factors for COPD”.