Emphysema is the result of destruction and distension of lung tissue, causing you to wheeze and cough frequently and have trouble catching your breath. To achieve the highest quality of life and best disease outcomes, it is vital you follow a healthy diet and follow your doctor's and dietitian's recommendations. Your doctor will likely suggest you take a vitamin supplement as part of your treatment.
Antioxidants
Oxidative lung damage from the free radicals in cigarette smoke and other air pollutants contributes to emphysema. Following a diet that is rich in antioxidants helps protect against free radical damage to prevent emphysema as well as slow the development of emphysema in those who have it, according to a 1985 study published in the "European Journal of Respiratory Disease." To get more antioxidants in your diet, eat more citrus fruits, fatty fish like salmon and tuna, whole grains and brightly colored fruits and vegetables.
Vitamin A
In addition to a diet rich in antioxidants, your dietitian may recommend a vitamin A supplement for your emphysema. According to a study published in the March 2007 issue of "Vitamins & Hormones," vitamin A protects against oxidative damage from free radicals and restores a degree of elasticity to lung tissue.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C also serves an invaluable role in protecting against oxidative damage. Moreover, it may prevent the leukocyte adhesion that is associated with damage caused by cigarette smoking related diseases, according to Hans-Anton Lehr's findings published in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America" in August 1994. In other words, you might say that vitamin C helps prevent cigarette-smoking damage from sticking.
B-Complex Vitamins
Because of your impaired ability to oxygenate blood in the lungs and move it throughout your body, when you have emphysema, you have an extra load placed on energy metabolism, which is the process of converting food products into energy and transporting it throughout the body for use or storage. A B-complex vitamin supplement supports energy metabolism.
References
- "European Journal of Respiratory Disease"; Oxidants, Antioxidants, and the Pathogenesis of Emphysema; A. Cantin, et al.; 1985
- "Vitamins & Hormones"; Vitamin A and Emphysema; Richard C. Baybutt, et al.; March 2007
- "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America"; Vitamin C Prevents Cigarette Smoke-Induced Leukocyte Aggregation and Adhesion to Endothelium In Vivo; Hans-Anton Lehr, et al.; August 1994
- "Nutrition and Diagnosis Related Care: Fifth Edition"; Sylvia Escott-Stump; 2002
- "The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology"; Free Radical Tissue Damage: The Role of Antioxidant Nutrients; Lawrence J. Machlin, et al.; December 1987
