Carrots, sweet potatoes, melons, and foods like spinach and kale can protect your lungs, especially for smokers or those frequently exposed to secondhand smoke. These foods can slow the decline of lung function and have a rejuvenating effect on the lungs. This is according to an article in the latest issue of the French journal *Thorax*.
The author of the article, an expert from the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, tested the lung function of 1,194 adults aged 20-44, as well as the levels of vitamins A and E and beta-carotene in their blood. The results showed that over an 8-year period, those with higher levels of beta-carotene in their blood experienced a lesser decline in lung function. Furthermore, among those who smoked at least 20 cigarettes a day, those with higher levels of beta-carotene and vitamin E in their blood had a slower decline in lung function.
Beta-carotene is a type of carotenoid and is found in large quantities in fruits and vegetables such as carrots, red peppers, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, spinach, kale, seaweed, melons, apricots, peaches, and mangoes. Among these, carrots not only have a high beta-carotene content but are also the most commonly consumed in daily life, making them the best source for supplementing beta-carotene. To ensure that the beta-carotene in carrots can be truly digested, absorbed, and utilized by the body, it is closely related to our methods of consumption and cooking. Experiments have shown that if the contact between carrots and air is reduced during cooking, the preservation rate of beta-carotene can be as high as 97%. Therefore, it is best to cover the pot when stir-frying carrots, or to use methods like stewing or boiling in a pressure cooker. Additionally, since beta-carotene is a fat-soluble vitamin, meaning it can only dissolve in fats, using more cooking oil when preparing carrots can increase the body's digestion and absorption rate of beta-carotene to up to 90%.
In addition to protecting the lungs, eating more carrots can have other health benefits. A recent study in the United States confirmed that eating two carrots a day can lower blood cholesterol levels by 10%-20%; eating three carrots a day has certain benefits for preventing heart disease and cancer.