Green vegetables to protect the lungs

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Extract from the article: According to the results of a study conducted by researchers at the Francis Crick Institute (UK), certain molecules contained in green vegetables may protect the lungs against certain infections, such as influenza. Their findings have been published

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According to the results of a study conducted by researchers at the Francis Crick Institute (UK), certain molecules contained in green vegetables may protect the lungs against certain infections, such as influenza. Their findings have been published in the journal « Nature ».

The work, carried out on mice, enabled the scientists to identify important proteins, such as the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). AHR is found mainly in the intestine and lungs. On closer examination, the researchers discovered that consumption of cruciferous vegetables, such as parsley, lettuce, cabbage, spinach and turnip, can have a beneficial effect on lung health.

Researchers have identified an intestine-lung axis linking diet to protection against lung infections via endothelial cells. Indeed, the molecules naturally present in these vegetables act as dietary ligands, meaning that they are able to bind to other proteins, notably AHR.By doing so, they stimulate it to "target" a number of genes. The result?The particles activate disease tolerance pathways in the pulmonary endothelium, preventing tissue damage.

Healthy lungs

People may be less inclined to maintain a healthy diet when they're ill. As a result, they don't absorb the molecules in vegetables that enable this system to function. The scientists at the Francis Crick Institute therefore conclude by stressing the importance of eating vegetables, particularly cruciferous ones, on a daily basis to maintain good health.

Researchers at Copenhagen University Hospital (Denmark) conducted a study involving 4,000 people aged between 24 and 77. They all underwent a blood test and a functional respiratory examination (EFR) or spirometry, an examination to measure lung capacity. Each participant also completed a questionnaire about his or her state of health and lifestyle habits, including diet and physical activity.

The main finding was that low levels of vitamin K in the blood were more likely to be found in patients suffering from asthma or COPD. In other words, this study suggests that people with low blood levels of vitamin K are likely to have worse lung function than others. Found in green leafy vegetables, vegetable oils and cereals, this vitamin mainly plays a role in blood coagulation. However, its potential link with lung function appears to be new.

This is also highlighted by a study published in the journal ERJ Open Research. It has already suggested that the vitamin K found in spinach may protect the lungs against certain respiratory ailments.

Further work has already been announced to confirm or refute this link and, if necessary, to determine whether or not increasing vitamin K levels can improve lung function.In the meantime, these results do not alter the current recommendations for vitamin K intake.

William O.