Skip to ContentGo to accessibility page
OpenStax Logo
Nutrition for Nurses

Chapter Summary

Nutrition for NursesChapter Summary

Chapter Summary

  • Nutrition plays a vital role in the growth, development, and maintenance of the pulmonary system throughout the lifespan. Starting in utero, maternal malnutrition can limit alveolarization and pulmonary vascular development in the fetus.
  • Lung development continues through childhood and adolescence during which the child’s lung volume expands and respiratory muscle strength increases. By adulthood, respiratory growth and development stabilizes and can begin to decline secondary to aging and comorbidities.
  • Pulmonary conditions limit nutritional intake and lead to vitamin deficiencies. COPD is one of the most prevalent conditions affected by this. The diminished respiratory capacity among clients with COPD can limit the amount of food they are able to eat, placing them at high risk for nutritional deficiencies.
  • Consuming a nutrient-rich diet boosts the immune system and helps prevent respiratory tract infections and pneumonia. An anti-inflammatory diet can also minimize the impact of infections. High-fat diets can exacerbate asthma and pulmonary fibrosis symptoms.
PreviousNext
Order a print copy
Citation/Attribution
Reuse and redistribution of this content in digital or print format:
  • This book may not be used in the training of large language models or otherwise be ingested into large language models or generative AI offerings without OpenStax's prior written permission.
  • This book uses the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License, which means that you can reuse and modify the material only for noncommercial purposes, must attribute OpenStax, and must distribute any derivative works under the same license.
  • Any commercial printing of this textbook, including using a local or custom printer, must be approved by OpenStax, and proper citation provided.
  • OpenStax-copyrighted images, activities, assessments, and similar components of this book are subject to the same licensing – CC-BY-NC-SA. They can be used for noncommercial purposes with attribution. Commercial use requires permission.
  • Permission requests: Anyone who intends to incorporate this content (including text, images, and other components) into large language models, use it in AI offerings, use it commercially (including in print), and/or has questions about another use case is welcome to complete our reuse request form.
Attribution information
  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial print format, then you must include on every physical page the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/nutrition/pages/1-introduction

  • If you are redistributing all or part of this book in a noncommercial digital format, then for every page that includes OpenStax content, you must license the derivative work under the same CC-BY-NC-SA license as the original, and include on every digital page view the following attribution:

    Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/nutrition/pages/1-introduction

Citation information

The information below includes the information needed to generate citations in most major styles (APA, MLA, etc.); you must reformat and organize the information as needed to fit the requirements of the style. Use the information below to generate a citation. We recommend using a citation tool such as this one.

© Apr 23, 2026 OpenStax. Textbook content produced by OpenStax is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License. The OpenStax name, OpenStax logo, OpenStax book covers, OpenStax CNX name, and OpenStax CNX logo, and Rice University name, and Rice University logo trademarks, or wordmarks are not subject to the Creative Commons license and may not be reproduced without the prior and express written consent of Rice University.