Study: Eating berries could help lung health

A promising study suggests that eating berries and grapes may be linked to good lung health.

Researchers looked at data on 463 people with an average age of 44. They found that the adults who ate the most foods with a flavonoid called anthocyanin maintained the best lung function as they aged.

This slower decline in lung function was evident even after taking into account other factors such as smoking and age.

"Our study suggests that the general population could benefit from consuming more fruits rich in these flavonoids like berries, particularly those who have given up smoking or have never smoked," said lead author Vanessa Garcia-Larsen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "For smokers, quitting remains the best thing they can do to protect their health."

But further research because a link is not proof that berries in your diet improve lung function.

The findings are scheduled for presentation during the American Thoracic Society 's annual meeting. Research presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary until it appears in a peer-reviewed medical journal.