National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)
http://www.niehs.nih.gov/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, August 30, 2005

CHILDHOOD EXPOSURE TO SECOND-HAND SMOKE HAS LONG-LASTING EFFECTS: FRUIT
FIBER MAY HELP

A new study finds early life exposure to second-hand smoke can produce
life-long respiratory problems. The study of 35,000 adult non-smokers in
Singapore found that those who lived with a smoker during childhood had
more
respiratory problems, including chronic cough. Study participants who
reported eating more fruit and soy fiber as adults seemed to be protected
against some of the negative health effects often associated with early
tobacco exposure.

Individuals 18 or younger, living with one or more smokers, were more than
twice as likely to suffer from chronic dry cough as adults, according to a
new study published by researchers at the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a part of the National Institutes of
Health, the University of Minnesota, and the National University of
Singapore. This paper, which appears online in "Thorax", is the largest
study to date on the effects of childhood exposure to environmental tobacco
smoke (ETS) on later respiratory disease, and the first to include data on
dietary intake.

"This research adds to a growing body of evidence that exposure to
second-hand smoke early in life has health consequences that can last a
lifetime," said Dr. David Schwartz, Director of the NIEHS. "In addition to
finding ways to reduce the exposure of children to tobacco smoke and other
environmental pollutants, we also need to look for ways to reduce the
disease burden."

The data for this study were collected from the Singapore Chinese Health
Study, a population of men and women of Chinese ethnicity ranging in ages
from 45 to 74 at enrollment, who live in Singapore. The 35,000 non-smokers
provided information regarding ETS before and after age 18, a medical
history including information on respiratory symptoms of chronic cough,
phlegm production and asthma diagnosis, as well as information on dietary
intake.

Chronic cough was defined as occurring on most days for at least three
months of the year and lasting more than two years in a row. More than 45
percent of the study participants reported having fathers who smoked, and
19
percent reported having mothers who smoked. The researchers found that more
smokers in the home during childhood, was linked to a greater incidence of
chronic cough, and chronic phlegm.

"Because we had previously found in this Singaporean population data
suggesting that a diet high in fruit and soy fiber may reduce the incidence
of chronic respiratory symptoms, we decided to study the impact of fiber on
problems associated with early tobacco exposure," said NIEHS researcher
Stephanie London, M.D. "We actually found that people who ate even a small
amount of fruit fiber had less chronic cough related to environmental
tobacco smoke."

Study participants who ate more than 7.5 grams of fiber each day had fewer
health effects associated with ETS. This is equivalent to eating about two
apples a day. Dr. London pointed out that the average weight of the
Singapore study participants was 127 lbs. She also added that most
Singaporeans get their fiber from fruits, vegetables and soy.

"Fiber may have beneficial effects on the lung," said Dr. London. "It seems
to have the ability to reduce blood glucose concentrations, reduce
inflammation, and enhance antioxidant processes. All of these may help to
protect the lung against environmental insults, such as ETS in childhood.
However, the possible benefits of fiber should not lessen the importance of
reducing exposure to environmental tobacco smoke."

NIEHS, a component of the National Institutes of Health, supports research
to understand the effects of the environment on human health. For more
information about environmental tobacco smoke and other environmental
health
topics, please visit our website at http://www.niehs.nih.gov/.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- "The Nation's Medical Research
Agency" -- is comprised of 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of
the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary
Federal
agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational
medical research, and investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for
both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its
programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

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