Apples, Tomatoes Reduce Damage Caused by Smoking

Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic.
Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic.
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Apples, Tomatoes Reduce Damage Caused by Smoking

Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic.
Asharq Al-Awsat Arabic.

Following three new studies, scientists said consuming apples and tomatoes can help restore lung damage caused by smoking.

Other scientists said eating a daily diet of leafy vegetables reduces brain aging by about 11 years.

A third scientific team said: "Children who eat fish weekly will have better IQ and better sleep.

Apples and Tomatoes

The study from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in the US found that adults who on average ate more than two tomatoes or more than three portions of fresh fruit a day had a slower decline in lung function. It added that this kind of diet heals damages caused by smoking.

The study concluded that the natural decline in lung function over a 10-year period was slower among former smokers with a diet high in tomatoes and fruits.

The scientists compared those who ate three servings of fruit and two fresh tomatoes a day to monitor the slowing down of lung function, to those who ate less than one serving of fruit and less than a tomato.

The researchers found such positive aspects even in individuals who continued to smoke but ate large amounts of tomatoes, but the result was not the same with other dietary sources such as processed foods containing fruits and vegetables like tomato sauce.

This study is part of another study funded by the European Union on lung aging, with researchers from the Imperial College of Britain, was published in the December issue of the European Respiratory Journal, which is dedicated to respiratory studies.

The researchers published their findings on December 20 in the neurological journal Neuroscience of the American Academy of Neurology.



China to Make All Hospitals Offer Epidurals to Incentivize Childbirth

People walk past stores in a shopping mall in Beijing on June 8, 2025. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP)
People walk past stores in a shopping mall in Beijing on June 8, 2025. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP)
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China to Make All Hospitals Offer Epidurals to Incentivize Childbirth

People walk past stores in a shopping mall in Beijing on June 8, 2025. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP)
People walk past stores in a shopping mall in Beijing on June 8, 2025. (Photo by GREG BAKER / AFP)

China said that by the end of this year all tertiary level hospitals must offer epidural anesthesia during childbirth, a move it said would help promote a "friendly childbearing environment" for women.

Tertiary hospitals - those with more than 500 beds, must provide epidural anesthesia services by 2025 while secondary hospitals - those containing more than 100 beds - must provide the services by 2027, China's National Health Commission (NHC) said in a statement last week.

Authorities are struggling to boost birth rates in the world's second largest economy after China's population fell for a third consecutive year in 2024 with experts warning the downturn will worsen in the coming years.

Around 30% of pregnant women in China receive anesthesia to relieve pain during childbirth, compared with more than 70% in some developed countries, the official China Daily said.

The World Health Organization recommends epidurals for healthy pregnant women requesting pain relief and it is widely utilized in many countries around the world, including France, where around 82% of pregnant women opt to have one, and in the United States and Canada where more than 67% do.

The move will "improve the comfort level and security of medical services" and "further enhance people's sense of happiness and promote a friendly childbearing environment," the NHC said.

A growing number of provinces across China are also beginning to include childbirth anesthesia costs as part of their medical insurance schemes to encourage more women to have children, Reuters reported.

High childcare costs as well as job uncertainty and a slowing economy have discouraged many young Chinese from getting married and starting a family.

In June, health authorities in China's southwestern Sichuan province proposed to extend marriage leave up to 25 days and maternity leave up to 150 days, to help create a "fertility-friendly society."