6 Vitamins and Minerals that are Good for Lung Health

The lungs are the most important organs that play a role in breathing and distributing oxygen in your body. Therefore, maintaining lung health is obligatory for everyone. Not only by living a healthy lifestyle, but you can also maintain the condition of your lungs by regularly meeting your daily vitamin and mineral needs. What types of vitamins and minerals are recommended for lung health?

Vitamins and minerals that are good for the lungs

There are many ways you can take to maintain lung health. You can do this by avoiding pollution, wearing masks, staying away from cigarette smoke, and eating nutritious foods for the lungs.

All of that is not only for the sake of maintaining its function so that it continues to run properly but also protects itself from the risk of various diseases and respiratory infections. To support these efforts, you can consume vitamins and minerals that are good for lung health.

Approximately, what are the types of vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for lung health?

1. Vitamin A

Read: Besides A, C, and E, Here Are 2 Other Types of Magic Vitamins to Radiate Your Skin's Beauty

The first vitamin for lung health is vitamin A. Maybe you often hear that vitamin A is good for maintaining eye function. However, this vitamin also provides direct benefits to the lungs.

A study published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention, and Health released the results of its research on the vitamin intake of 6,115 people over the age of 19. The study concluded that people who regularly consume vitamin A are less likely to complain of respiratory problems, such as coughs, colds, asthma, or COPD.

Plus, according to a study from the journal Nutrients, vitamin A plays an important role in the formation of the alveoli of the baby's lungs from in the womb. That's the reason pregnant women also need to get enough vitamin A intake for the health of the little one's lungs.

Some examples of good sources of vitamin A for lung health are carrots, dark green vegetables, liver, and milk. Apart from these foods, you can also meet your daily vitamin A needs by taking supplements.

2. Vitamin C

It's no secret that vitamin C has a variety of benefits for your immune system. Vitamin C is also believed to have a direct positive effect on lung health.

A study published in the Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance in 2020 revealed the benefits of vitamin C against respiratory diseases such as influenza and COVID-19. As a result, vitamin C plays a role in reducing inflammation, shortening the duration of the disease, and reducing the chance of complications due to respiratory disease.

In addition, in people with COPD, vitamin C is also believed to reduce symptoms of respiratory disorders and disease recurrence.

There are many food sources rich in vitamin C, such as oranges, strawberries, broccoli, and potatoes. You can also get an additional intake of vitamin C from supplements.

Remember, you should not consume more than 1,000 mg of vitamin C.

3. Vitamin D

The next recommended vitamin for lung health is vitamin D.

Vitamin D has long been recognized as an immunomodulator, a substance that can help support the function of the body's immune system by changing the way it works. Thus, the body's immune system can work better in fighting infection and inflammation.

According to the American Lung Association, insufficient levels of vitamin D in the body have long been associated with the risk of asthma attacks in children and adults. Therefore, the fulfillment of vitamin D intake can reduce the risk of asthma relapse and protect the body from attacks of other respiratory infections.

You can get vitamin D from milk, egg yolks, red meat, liver, salmon, and mackerel. In addition, your body can also produce vitamin D by regularly basking in the sun, you know.

4. Vitamin E

Vitamin E as a vitamin for lung health is not only good for beauty and skin health but also along with vitamins A and D, adequate consumption of vitamin E will help reduce the risk of various respiratory diseases.

For people with asthma, the content of tocopherol in vitamin E is believed to reduce asthma symptoms, such as coughing and wheezing.

Some of the best sources of vitamin E are almonds, seeds, broccoli, and olive oil. The daily requirement of vitamin E in men is usually 4 mg, while women need as much as 3 mg per day.

5. Zinc

Read: What is Zinc: Benefits and Food Sources

In addition to the various vitamins above, zinc is also included in the minerals needed to protect your lungs. Zinc is an important mineral that contributes to the immune system and body metabolism.

A study from the International Journal of Molecular Medicine showed the effect of zinc intake on respiratory infections such as pneumonia and COVID-19.

Zinc is believed to help reduce inflammation, clear excess mucus from the respiratory tract, and prevent the use of ventilators in patients with respiratory infections. Taking zinc supplements when you have a cold or cough is also believed to speed up recovery and reduce symptoms.

6. Omega-3

Omega-3 fatty acids are the next recommended choice for lung health in addition to the vitamins and minerals already mentioned above.

There have been various studies that reveal the effect of omega-3 on the risk of inflammation and bacterial infections in the lungs. One of them is a 2016 study published in The Journal of Immunology.

The study examined the effects of omega-3s in mice with lung infections. Based on these studies, experts found that omega-3s can significantly reduce inflammation and bacterial infections.

Those are the 6 types of vitamins and minerals that are good for lung health.

In order to maximize the performance of vitamins and minerals, make sure you also adopt a healthy lifestyle by avoiding cigarette smoke, and pollution, exercising regularly and getting enough rest.