LAUSR

There is a large burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the United States (US). The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between diet quality with lung function, airway restriction, and spirometrically defined COPD in a nationally representative sample of US adults.Adults (19–70 years of age) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007–2012 cycles were included (N=10 428). Diet quality was determined using the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI-2010). Pre-bronchodilator measurements of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and the FEV1/FVC were described. Calibrated lower limit of normal (LLN) estimates were derived to determine prevalence of airway restriction (FVC0.05) compared to those in quartile 1. Higher AHEI was also associated with lower odds of airway restriction (OR: 0.23, 95% CI 0.08, 0.67; p-value AHEI*ethnicity >0.05).Diet quality was independently associated with better FEV1, FVC, and with lower odds of spirometric restriction. These findings highlight the need for research to further elucidate the possible beneficial role of diet in the preservation of lung function.