Korean J Fam Pract.  2021 Aug;11(4):288-295. 10.21215/kjfp.2021.11.4.288.

Association between Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Risk and Nutritional Intake: Using the 2007–2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey Data

• Cho S
• Yeo Y
• Cho IY
• Jeon K
• Yoo JH

• KMID: 2519283
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.21215/kjfp.2021.11.4.288

Abstract

Background
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) spend higher energy in breathing than healthy individuals. Largely owing to this, advanced COPD patients are prone to be in a state of undernutrition and thus commonly undergo weight loss during an exacerbation. This study was designed to statistically assess the association between COPD risk and nutritional intake in Korean patients.
Methods
We analyzed the data of 19,893 individuals aged 40–79 years. The COPD and non-COPD groups were determined based on the results of pulmonary function test. The dietary intake of the subjects was estimated from nutritional intake survey using a 24-hour dietary recall method. Logistic regression was used to compare the odds ratio for COPD risk in those who had intake of each nutrient between two conditions, above the estimated average requirement (EAR) and below the EAR.
Results
The COPD group showed significantly lower level of intake of most nutrients, including protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. The proportion of undernutrition state defined by nutrient intake below the EAR was higher in the COPD group than in the non-COPD group. Therefore, we found a significant reduction in COPD risk in a group taking vitamin C above the EAR compared to those taking vitamin C below the EAR.
Conclusion
Our study provides solid statistical evidence for the tendency of less intake of nutrients in the COPD group compared to the non-COPD group in Korea. The statistical analyses of the beneficial effect of each nutrient revealed that antioxidants, particularly vitamin C, appeared to be associated with decrease risk of COPD.

Keyword

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; Nutrients; Estimated Average Requirement; Vitamin C