Study: Higher Diet Quality Scores Linked to Better Lung Function in Dutch Adults
08/31/2026 / By Coco Somers
Study of 83,000 Adults Finds Diet-Lung Function Link
A study of more than 83,000 adults in the Netherlands has found that higher diet quality scores were associated with modestly better lung function, according to researchers using data from the Lifelines cohort. The association was strongest among individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), officials said.
For every one-point increase in the diet score, participants could force out about 5 mL more air in one second, and about 8 mL among those with COPD, the report stated. The findings were published in a recent analysis of the long-running Dutch health study.
Methodology and Participants
Researchers analyzed data from the Lifelines cohort, a long-running health study in the Netherlands, according to the report. A total of 83,460 adults completed a 110-item food questionnaire at the beginning of the study, which researchers used to calculate an overall diet quality score ranging from 0 to 48.
The scoring system rewarded diets higher in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fish, unsaturated fats, unsweetened dairy, coffee, and tea, while penalizing red and processed meat, butter, hard margarines, and sugary drinks, the study stated. Lung function was measured using spirometry, a common breathing test that assesses how much air a person can force out of the lungs and how quickly, according to the report.
Researchers were particularly interested in whether diet affected lung function differently in people with asthma or COPD, a long-term condition that makes it harder to move air out of the lungs and can cause lung function to decline over time, officials said.
Findings Across All Participants and Subgroups
Across the full cohort of 83,460 adults, higher diet scores were linked to slightly better lung function, with a 5 mL increase in forced expiratory volume per one-point score increase, according to the study. Among people with COPD, the association was stronger, with an 8 mL increase per point, while those with asthma showed a smaller but still present link, the report stated.
Follow-up data from 37,752 adults over roughly 10 years showed that people with COPD who had higher diet scores at the beginning tended to lose lung function more slowly, across all three breathing measures tracked, the researchers reported. This pattern held in both mild and moderate COPD cases. For people with asthma, the same pattern did not show up over time, according to the study.