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Dietary nutrients associated with preservation of lung function in Hispanic and non-Hispanic white smokers from New Mexico
Authors Leng S, Picchi MA, Tesfaigzi Y, Wu G, Gauderman WJ, Xu F, Gilliland FD, Belinsky SA
Received 20 May 2017
Accepted for publication 7 September 2017
Published 30 October 2017 Volume 2017:12 Pages 3171—3181
DOI https://doi.org/10.2147/COPD.S142237
Checked for plagiarism Yes
Review by Single anonymous peer review
Peer reviewer comments 2
Editor who approved publication: Dr Richard Russell
Shuguang Leng,1,2 Maria A Picchi,1 Yohannes Tesfaigzi,3 Guodong Wu,1 W James Gauderman,4 Fadi Xu,5 Frank D Gilliland,4 Steven A Belinsky1,2,6
1The Lung Cancer Program, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, 2Cancer Control Research Program, University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, 3COPD Program, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, Albuquerque, NM, 4Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 5Pathophysiology Program, Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute, 6Cancer Genetics and Epigenetics Program, University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Background: COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States. Cigarette smoking accelerates the age-related forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) decline, an important determinant for the genesis of COPD. Hispanic smokers have lower COPD prevalence and FEV1 decline than non-Hispanic whites (NHWs).
Patients and methods: A nutritional epidemiological study was conducted in the Lovelace Smokers cohort (LSC; n=1,829) and the Veterans Smokers cohort (n=508) to identify dietary nutrients (n=139) associated with average FEV1 and its decline and to assess whether nutrient intakes could explain ethnic disparity in FEV1 decline between Hispanics and NHW smokers.
Results: Nutrients discovered and replicated to be significantly associated with better average FEV1 included magnesium, folate, niacin, vitamins A and D, eicosenoic fatty acid (20:1n9), eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5n3), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA; 22:5n3), docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n3), and fiber. In addition, greater intakes of eicosenoic fatty acid and DPA were associated with slower FEV1 decline in the LSC. Among omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, DPA is the most potent nutrient associated with better average FEV1 and slower FEV1 decline. Adverse effect of continuous current smoking on FEV1 decline was completely negated in LSC members with high DPA intake (>20 mg/day). Slower FEV1 decline in Hispanics compared to NHWs may be due to the greater protection of eicosenoic fatty acid and DPA for FEV1 decline rather than greater intake of protective nutrients in this ethnic group.
Conclusion: The protective nutrients for the preservation of FEV1 in ever smokers could lay foundation for designing individualized nutritional intervention targeting “optimal physiological levels” in human to improve lung function in ever smokers. Ethnic disparity in FEV1 decline may be explained by difference in magnitude of protection of dietary intakes of eicosenoic fatty acid and DPA between Hispanics and NHWs.
Keywords: nutrientomics, spirometry, ethnic disparity
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