If you’re not a smoker, you may not think much about lung health. And yet, lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States today. Even non-smokers are frequently exposed to environmental toxins like air pollution from vehicle smog, cigarette smoke, allergens, and other irritants. Did you know that ongoing exposure to these harmful substances can increase your chances of developing lung cancer, bronchitis and other respiratory ailments over time? So, how can you protect yourself, besides avoiding second hand smoke and pollution in general whenever possible?
Well, you probably know that regular, vigorous aerobic exercise tones and strengthens your lungs, not to mention benefiting you in many other ways. There are also antioxidant-rich food choices that go a long way towards preventing lung health issues, which include fruits, vegetables and─believe it or not─red wine. It turns out that resveratrol─a potent antioxidant found in red wine─inhibits several types of cancer, including lung cancer. But resveratrol is not a one-man show, which is why taking a pill will never yield the exact benefits of a whole food substance like red wine. In this case, resveratrol operates in concert with its analog pterostilbene to inhibit lung cancer cell growth.1
Several studies have demonstrated a positive effect of moderate wine consumption on pulmonary (lung) health and considerable research in Scandinavia, Europe and South America has suggested a protective effect of wine consumption against lung cancer, especially adenocarcinoma.2 Another study was undertaken to estimate the effect of wine consumption, both overall and by type of wine, on the risk of developing lung cancer. While a slight but significant benefit was observed with white wine consumption, red wine offered much greater protection, with each daily glass having an inverse association with the development of lung cancer.3
On another lung health note, did you know that an estimated 300 million people worldwide suffer from asthma, with 250,000 annual deaths attributed to the disease?4Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the airways, and the current focus in managing asthma is the control of inflammation. It turns out that resveratrol has the ability to suppress some of the worst asthma symptoms, operating much like dexamethasone, a glucocorticoid drug used as a positive control. These results suggest that resveratrol may be helpful in treating bronchial asthma, among its other lung health benefits. Stay tuned for more information on red wine and asthma. Meanwhile, here’s to your (lung) health!
1 J Surg Res. 2009 Jul 21 [Epub ahead of print]
2 Trans Am Clin Climatol Assoc. 2006;117:129-45
3 Thorax. 2004 Nov;59(11):981-5
4 World Health Organization. Global surveillance, prevention and control of chronic respiratory diseases: a comprehensive approach, 2007
5 Int Immunopharmacol. 2009 Apr;9(4):418-24. Epub 2009 Feb 8
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