Effect of Fruit Rich Diet on Cardiopulmonary Efficiency in Short Term Smokers

Abstract

Background: Use of tobacco in cigarettes leads to an oxidant antioxidant imbalance. As a consequence of its addictive qualities, the consumption of cigarettes often becomes a lifelong habit with cumulative and deleterious effects on health. Previous reports have described long-term harmful effects of nicotine on various body parameters, including oxidative injury and a lack of antioxidants in the body. Fruits are known to be a rich source of dietary antioxidants. This study was conducted to know the effect of consumption of fruits in a group of short term smokers on cardio-pulmonary efficiency parameters. Materials and Methods: Treadmill exercise testing and pulmonary function tests were done before and after maximal exercise testing to assess cardiopulmonary efficiency in two groups′ viz., healthy sedentary controls and healthy cigarette smokers on a fruit rich diet. Results: On studying the differences in cardiopulmonary efficiency in the two groups the resting heart rate (HR) was found to be statistically significantly higher in the study group and the delta HR (δHR) was found to be statistically significantly lower among cigarette smokers. There was no significant difference seen in parameters like maximal oxygen consumption max, maximum oxygen pulse, maximum voluntary ventilation, maximum minute ventilation as an acute effect of cigarette smoking. Conclusion: In this study, it appears that cigarette smokers are physically fit like controls, but after immediate smoking a lesser δHR suggests a higher risk for cardiovascular mortality. There seems to be no effect of including fruits in the diet of smokers. The predominant effect of smoking over dietary measures is obvious. Stopping smoking at this juncture can be helpful in reverting back the risk and parameters like resting HR, recovery HR and δHR can be used as prognostic assessment tools for any intervention therapy to stop cigarette smoking in asymptomatic individuals.

Keywords

• Cardiopulmonary
• cigarette smoking
• delta heart rate
• fruit consumption
• maximal oxygen consumption max
• maximum minute ventilation
• maximum voluntary ventilation
• oxidative stress
• resting heart rate
• tobacco