Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 May 9;80(6):1434-1444.
doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuab077.

Nutrition as a modifiable factor in the onset and progression of pulmonary function impairment in COPD: a systematic review

Lieke E J van Iersel  1 , Rosanne J H C G Beijers  1 , Harry R Gosker  1 , Annemie M W J Schols  1
Affiliations

Nutrition as a modifiable factor in the onset and progression of pulmonary function impairment in COPD: a systematic review

Lieke E J van Iersel et al. Nutr Rev. .

Abstract

Context: Chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) is a progressive lung disease characterized by persistent airflow limitation. An increasing amount of evidence suggests an effect of dietary quality on the risk of COPD in the general population and pulmonary function decline in patients with COPD.

Objective: The association of dietary intake and nutrient status with COPD risk and onset, as well as pulmonary function decline (change in forced expiratory volume in 1 second, forced vital capacity, or the ratio of the former to the latter) in patients with COPD was investigated in this systematic review.

Data sources: The PubMed database was searched by combining terms of pulmonary function or COPD with diet, nutrient status, or nutritional supplementation.

Data extraction: Original studies and systematic reviews and meta-analyses were included. Articles obtained were independently screened for relevance on the bases of title and abstract by 2 researchers. Eventually, 89 articles were included in the analysis.

Results: The unhealthy Western-style diet is associated with an increased risk of COPD and an accelerated decline of pulmonary function. Intake of fruit, vegetables, dietary fibers, vitamins C and E, polyphenols, and β-carotene were individually associated with lower COPD risk, whereas consumption of processed meat was associated with higher COPD risk. Data on the effect of dietary quality on pulmonary function decline in patients with COPD are limited and inconsistent. Strong evidence for beneficial effects on pulmonary function decline was found only for vitamin D supplementation.

Conclusion: Considering the increasing burden of COPD, more attention should be given to dietary quality as a modifiable factor in disease development and progression in patients with COPD.

Systematic review registration: PROSPERO registration no. CRD42021240183.

Keywords: COPD; nutrition; progression; pulmonary function; risk.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flowchart for selection of included studies.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hajat C, Stein E. The global burden of multiple chronic conditions: a narrative review. Prev Med Rep. 2018;12:284–293. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Schneider KM, O'Donnell BE, Dean D. Prevalence of multiple chronic conditions in the United States' Medicare population. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2009;7:82. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Eyre H, Kahn R, Robertson RM, American Heart Association, et al. Preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes: a common agenda for the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Heart Association. Circulation 2004;109:3244–3255. - PubMed
    1. Agusti A. Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease: The GOLD Science Committee report. GOLDcopdorg. 2020. - PubMed
    1. Kim V, Criner GJ. Chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2013;187:228–237. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types