Research suggests that smoking has hit an all-time low in the US. According to the American Lung Association, long-term smoking rates have dropped by around 73 percent since the mid-1960s. The organization also claims that in 2022, there were around twice as many former adult smokers as current adult smokers. This is great news for public health—it is well-known that smoking increases the risk of life-threatening diseases like cancer and heart disease.
When a person quits smoking, their risk of developing these diseases starts to reduce. According to the American Cancer Society, a person who stops smoking can add as much as a decade to their life span.
But former smokers (and current smokers) can do more for their health beyond putting down the cigarettes. Research suggests that following a plant-based diet that’s rich in nutrient-dense whole foods, could also have a significant health impact for ex- and current smokers. Here’s what the experts have to say.
Research: nutrition can help smokers and former smokers
In 2022, research from the National Cancer Institute claimed that former smokers who stick to a healthy lifestyle and a nutritious diet have a lower risk of death from all causes than former smokers who don’t. The findings noted that the risk of death was 17 percent lower for those who were committed to regular physical activity, and 14 percent and nine percent lower for healthy body weight and healthy diet, respectively.
“To have the greatest benefit, it is better to adhere to many lifestyle recommendations,” Maki Inoue-Choi, PhD, the study’s lead author, said at the time. “But even those who adopted just a single lifestyle recommendation experienced benefits.”
More recently, in April 2024, another study looked at the impact of a nutrient-dense, plant-based diet on current and former smokers. It suggested that the risk of emphysema, specifically, was lower.
Emphysema is a chronic disease that impacts the air sacs in the lungs. It often causes frequent coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath, and it can lead to life-threatening complications. In the US, smoking is the leading cause of the condition, according to MedlinePlus, but it can also be caused by long-term exposure to air pollutants or chemicals, as well as genetics.
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According to the new research, published in the journal Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation, those with a history of smoking who followed a highly nutritious plant-based diet had a 56 percent lower risk of emphysema than those who ate more meat.
“Identifying these modifiable factors, such as diet, is vital for helping reduce the risk of developing chronic lung disease in those with a history of smoking,” said lead researcher Mariah Jackson, PhD, MMN, RDN, LMNT. She added: “More research is needed on when dietary choices have the most potential to impact lung health, which can then inform public health guidelines and dietary recommendations, especially in children and young adults.”
Why is diet important for former and current smokers?
Plant-based whole foods have been linked with a reduced risk of diseases, including type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, and heart disease. This is largely because plant foods are rich in antioxidants, which can help to repair cellular damage caused by free radicals in the body. Free radicals are unstable compounds that can be caused by many different factors, including environmental pollution, poor diet, and smoking. Over time, the damage they cause can increase the risk of disease.
“A plant-based diet is effective at providing the body with antioxidants to help it fight free radicals,” Destini Moody, RD and sports dietitian for Garage Gym Reviews, tells VegNews. “These are compounds that can damage the body’s cells, cause chronic inflammation, and increase one’s risk of chronic disease, including heart disease.”
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Fruits and vegetables, like tomatoes, avocados, berries, leafy greens, sweet potatoes, and so many more, are excellent sources of these antioxidants. “[This] is why plant-based diets are so effective at reducing inflammation from environmental factors and lifestyle habits, including smoking,” adds Moody.
Plant-based whole foods, like nuts, seeds, and whole grains, also support overall health in many other ways, too. Smoking increases levels of LDL cholesterol, for example. LDL cholesterol is often referred to as “bad” cholesterol because, over time, high levels can increase the risk of heart disease. Plant-based whole foods, on the other hand, are known to reduce cholesterol.
“Fiber from plants, due to the way it’s digested, has an ability to lower the bad cholesterol in the blood,” explains Moody. “And healthy, unsaturated fats have been shown to lower the inflammation in arteries that increases risk of heart disease.”
This anti-inflammatory effect can also help to tackle the inflammation in the airways and the lungs that occurs due to smoking, she adds.
But it’s also important not to underestimate the influence of other healthy habits, too, like good sleep habits and regular exercise.
“When you take [the impact of a plant-based diet], along with the conditioning the heart and lungs receive from exercise like cardio, this style of diet along with a solid exercise regimen is one of the best methods to help former smokers improve their health,” says Moody.
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England’s southern coast.