What Is a Healthy Diet That Controls Lung Fluid?

Last Updated: Aug 16, 2013 | By  Karyn Maier

 
A healthy diet may help to reduce lung fluid. Photo Credit Hemera
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Excess lung fluid can be caused by a variety of things. The common cold, for instance, can progress into an infection of the respiratory tract and result in increased congestion in the lungs. Pleurisy is characterized by an inflamed pleura, the
two-layer membrane that envelops the lungs, making breathing difficult. Pleural effusion, also known as "water on the lungs," means that fluid has leaked into the layers between the pleura. In addition to medical intervention, which may
include corrective surgery, adhering to a healthy diet may help to control lung fluid.

Variety Matters
A healthy diet consisting of a variety of foods each day will enhance your body's ability to resist disease. Even if your physician has prescribed a round of antibiotics to prevent an infection from taking hold, your immune system requires
adequate nutrition to function properly in the long-term. One way to make variety count without much effort is to eat "by color." Select a variety of red, green, yellow and purple fruits, berries and vegetables to ensure a healthy dose of plant
flavonoids and antioxidants in your diet.
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Fluids
Drinking lots of liquids every day helps to keep your air passages hydrated and helps your lungs to eliminate bacteria, waste products and toxins. Try to aim for 64 oz. of water each day. That might sound like a lot, but it's actually only 8
servings of 1 cup of water each.

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Modified Fats
According to a study published in the June 2000 issue of "Nutrition in Clinical Practice," Nicole Celona-Jacobs and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center evaluated the effects of a modified diet in a 28-year-old
woman suffering recurring episodes of pleural effusions due to a rare congenital lymphatic system disorder. The woman was treated with a very low-fat diet supplemented with medium-chain triglycerides, or MCTs, obtained from linoleic
essential fatty acid. The significance of this is that people with malabsorption issues due to congenital defects can more readily absorb MCTs in the intestines for distribution through the lymphatic system than they can absorb long-chain
fatty acids. At the time this study was published, the woman experienced 24 months without requiring a pleural tap to remove excess fluid as a result of this diet therapy. Good sources of MCTs include nut and seed oils, such as coconut and
palm kernel oils.

Foods to Avoid
One cause of fluid buildup in the lungs is pulmonary edema, a serious condition that can trigger a heart attack. If you have a personal or family history of heart disease or high blood pressure, you should limit your salt intake as well as
dietary fats. In addition, the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine recommends avoiding highly processed foods that typically contain high amounts of both, such as bacon, potato chips, chocolate and canned meats, vegetables
and soups.

Herbs
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, certain herbs may help to support lymphatic drainage and reduce lung fluid. Red clover, for instance, is traditionally used to decrease congestion. The "Physicians' Desk Reference
for Herbal Medicines" says that goldenseal is another herb traditionally used to counter increased mucous secretions due to allergies and infections of the respiratory tract or sinuses.  

However, there are potential side effects associated with these herbs. Red clover contains estrogenic compounds and should not be used by women who are pregnant, nursing or undergoing treatment for a hormone-related cancer.
Goldenseal diminishes the effectiveness of tetracycline antibiotics. Both red clover and goldenseal increase the effects of blood-thinning medications and the risk of bleeding. Check with your doctor before self-treating your condition with
any herb, especially if you are taking other medications.
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Causes of Fluid in the Lungs

The condition of accumulation of fluid in the lungs is also known as pulmonary edema and can give rise to breathing problems. In this article, we have mainly addressed the causes of fluid in
the lungs.
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There are small air sacs called alveolus (plural: alveoli) present inside the lungs where exchange of gases take place with the blood. These contain the fresh inhaled oxygen. The blood in the
tiny blood vessels around the alveoli takes up the oxygen from these sacs and pass on the carbon dioxide into it. Alveoli is made up of a thin membrane that permits the exchange of air and
do not allow any fluid to enter it. However, due to excessive pressure in the blood vessels because of certain underlying health conditions, fluid may enter the alveoli. As a result, sufficient
oxygen does not get absorbed into the blood. This causes breathing difficulty and the patient feel suffocated and gasp for breath.

Human heart consists of four enclosures or chambers. The two upper chambers called the right and left atria, receive the impure blood and pass it into the lower chambers called right and
left ventricles. The blood then moves on from the heart to the lungs where the gases are exchanged. In this entire process, the heart valves make sure that the direction of the blood flow is
maintained. When the muscular left ventricle is not capable enough to push out sufficient amount of blood into the lungs, enormous pressure is build up in the left atrium, pulmonary veins
and capillaries. To relieve this pressure, fluids from the blood vessels of the lungs are pushed into the alveoli.

Causes

The causes can either be related to some cardiac problems or some noncardiac problems. Some of the major noncardiac problems that can be responsible for pulmonary edema are lung
infections such as pneumonia, kidney diseases, exposure to toxic substances like ammonia and inhalation of harmful gases. The cardiac problems that lead to fluid accumulation in the lungs
are described below:

Damage in the Heart Muscle

In coronary heart disease, the arteries that carry blood to the heart get narrowed down because of large amounts of fat deposited on its walls. If the problem of high blood pressure is
ignored and left untreated, it increases the chances of coronary heart disease. Formation of blood clot inside any of these narrow arteries leads to heart attack, which results in blockage of
blood flow and damage in the heart muscle. Thus, the heart muscle is weakened and it cannot pump enough blood. In this condition, the pressure rises in the veins and capillaries in the
lungs which forces the blood fluid to fill into the air sacs. A similar thing happens in cardiomyopathy where the heart muscle of the left ventricle becomes weak and enlarged. The exact
reason behind cardiomyopathy is not yet known. In some people, it has been found to be hereditary. Other possible factors that contribute towards this heart muscle disease are some
infections, toxic effects of drugs or alcohol abuse.

Problems in the Heart Valves

In some forms of valve diseases, the valves do not open up or close properly and part of the blood is always drawn towards the lungs or it moves backward through the valve. Free flow of
blood into the heart is also not possible when a valve becomes narrow. Therefore, the pressure in the left ventricle increases as it tries to put extra efforts during each contraction to pump
out maximum amount of blood into the lungs. The pressure, thus built up, also exerts a force on the left atrium and the pulmonary veins which causes fluid in the lungs.

The problem of accumulation of fluid inside the lungs is detected with the help of chest X-ray. If it is diagnosed at an early stage, then it can be treated with the help of oral medicines.
Doctors identify the underlying cause of fluid leakage and prescribe suitable medicines to treat that particular condition. However, in case, there is an excessive fluid build up within the
lungs, the patient need emergency medical treatment where he or she is first put on a mechanical ventilator in order to restore supply of oxygen into the bloodstream. It is accompanied by
administration of medicines to improve the heart function and removal of fluid from the lungs.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/causes-of-fluid-in-the-lungs.html