TUESDAY, Nov. 10, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Higher serum carotenoid levels have a positive impact on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) health status scores and inflammatory markers, according to a study published in the September issue of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation.
Mariah K. Jackson, Ph.D., R.D.N., from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, and colleagues examined associations between serum carotenoid levels and COPD outcomes in a study involving low-income individuals with COPD in the Baltimore area who completed longitudinal assessment.
Overall, two-thirds of the 98 participants had a household income <$30,000. The researchers found that each standard deviation increase of total and individual carotenoid levels was significantly associated with better COPD-related health scores and with lower frequency of severe exacerbations in adjusted analyses. There was an inverse relationship observed between total carotenoid levels and tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukin-6 (−3.0 and −9.5 percent, respectively).
"Our study adds to the growing body of evidence that diet plays an important role in reducing systemic inflammation," senior author Nadia N. Hansel, M.D., M.P.H., from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, said in a statement. "Additional research is necessary to further show how nutritional approaches to care and access to healthy foods can improve quality of life for people living with COPD."
