(Phytochemicals in) Foods to Prevent and Treat diseases - Cough

Cough is a continued reflexation and natural reaction of lung to clear the large breathing passages from secretions, irritants, foreign particles, etc. or as a result of infection such as acute (less than 3 weeks) or chronic (over 5 weeks) respiratory diseases.

Types of foods to prevent and treat cough
1. Orange juice
In the study to investigate whether dietary vitamin C intake, an important antioxidant, is inversely related to self-reported respiratory symptoms in young adults of a community, showed that the magnitude of these effects remained after excluding subjects with supplementary vitamin C intake (n=199) from the statistical analyses. Among young Norwegian adults, having a low prevalence of asthma and high prevalences of smoking-related respiratory symptoms, dietary vitamin C intake may act as an antioxidant and thereby reduce cough and wheeze in smokers having high oxidant stress(1).

2.  Homemade Berry Cough Syrup
In the article of Homemade Berry Cough Syrup for Relieving and Treating Chronic Coughing, the author wrote that The ingredients of the homemade berry cough syrup helps to relieve and even treat chronic coughing. One of the best home remedies to treat chronic cough is a homemade berry cough syrup made with whole foods that contain, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can relieve and treat chronic coughing(2)[The ingredients you will need to make the homemade berry cough syrup are 1 each cup of red raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries, 1 cup of water, 1 tablespoon of dried peppermint leaves, and 2 ½ cup of organic honey. For materials you will need 1 small sauce pan, metal strainer, mixing spoon, and a small sterile jar with a lid. If you do not have these ingredients or materials on hand you can find them at your local grocery store]

3. Lycium Fruit
In the study to investigate the inhibitory effects of LFWE on pro-inflammatory mediator production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells, showed that LFWE inhibited phosphorylations of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), p38 and c-Jun NH₂-terminal kinase (JNK) mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) as well as suppression of IκBα degradation and nuclear translocation of nuclear factor (NF)-κB upon LPS stimulation. In addition, LFWE suppressed NO, PGE₂, TNF-α and IL-6 production in LPS-stimulated peritoneal macrophage cells. Taken together, our results suggest that LFWE inhibits the production of various inflammatory mediators via blockade on the MAPKs and NF-κB pathways. This finding first explains the mechanism of anti-inflammatory effect by LFWE in LPS-stimulated macrophage cells(3).

4. Dietary fiber and soy foods
Im the study to analyze the relation between dietary intake at baseline and new onset of cough with phlegm in a population-based cohort of 63,257 middle-aged Chinese men and women initiated in Singapore between 1993 and 1998, found that a diet high in fiber from fruit and, possibly, soyfoods may reduce the incidence of chronic respiratory symptoms. Associated nutrients, such as flavonoids, may contribute to this association(4).

5. Etc.

Sources
(1) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12587963
(2) http://voices.yahoo.com/homemade-berry-cough-syrup-relieving-treating-6201106.html?cat=68
(3) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22483979
(4) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15117740