The health of your respiratory and urinary systems keeps your body functioning as it should. Your respiratory system includes your lungs and heart, and your urinary system includes your kidneys and bladder. Your physician may recommend other measures to keep these organs healthy, but you can make changes to your diet to get the nutrition you need to boost health.
Vitamin C
Eating foods rich in vitamin C -- such as citrus fruit and strawberries -- benefits your respiratory and urinary systems. Research in 2002 by the Division of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Nottingham in Great Britain demonstrated that people who consume large quantities of vitamin C have better lung function; it may also protect against some chronic pulmonary diseases. A study published in the October-December 2009 "Journal of the Balkan Union of Oncology" suggests that vitamin C protects your bladder from damage as well. Your heart may derive benefits from vitamin C intake; research featured in the June 2011 issue of "Stroke" magazine concludes that this vitamin reduces death from cardiovascular disease.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
The American Heart Association suggests eating fish twice a month to get the right amount of omega-3 fatty acids to combat heart disease, although it isn't only your respiratory system that benefits. A study featured in the May 2011 edition of "Biochimica and Biophysica Acta" indicates that omega-3 fatty acids may alleviate asthma attacks due to its ability to ease inflammation in your body. The University of Maryland Medical Center reports that research is inconclusive about omega-3's effectiveness for this purpose, however.
Lycopene
Lycopene, the compound that gives fruits and vegetables color, has antioxidant properties that can help ward off environmental damage to cells in your respiratory and urinary systems, according to the Mayo Clinic website. You can find lycopene in foods such as tomatoes and pink grapefruit as well as others that are red. Research reported in the September 2006 "Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry" journal notes a correlation between lycopene consumption and a lower risk of heart injury. It can also influence your urinary system by reducing your chances of developing renal cell cancer, according to research in the June 2009 "Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention."
Selenium
Eat foods rich in selenium, including Brazil nuts and tuna, to benefit your bladder. According to the September 2010 issue of "Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention," high selenium intake protects against bladder cancer. This mineral may also help boost the health of your respiratory system; a report in the 2011 edition of "Acta Virologica" suggests that dietary selenium reduces your risk of myocarditis, or inflammation of your heart muscle.
References
- NUTRAIngredients; Vitamin C Intake Corresponds to Healthy Lungs; June 2002
- "Journal of the Balkan Union of Oncology"; Effect of Vitamin C and N-Acetylcysteine Against Cyclophosphamide-Induced Genotoxicity in Exfoliated Bladder Cells ...; N. Gurbuz, et al.; October-December 2009
- "Stroke"; Dietary Intakes of Antioxidant Vitamins and Mortality From Cardiovascular Disease; Y. Kubota, et al.; June 2011
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Omega-3 Fatty Acids; June 2009
- "Biochimica et Biophysica Acta"; Fat-1 Transgenic Mice With Elevated Omega-3 Fatty Acids ...; S. Bilal, et al.; May 2011
- Mayo Clinic; Lycopene; July 2011
