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COPD & chronic lung disease

How much each habit raises, or lowers, the odds of dying of COPD and chronic lung disease. Tap a pill, answer yours. Green pills lower the risk, red raise it; a star marks an estimate, not a published number. All causes ›

Factors that swing COPD deaths

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Factors that swing COPD deaths

50%25%0%25%50%75%100%← more risk · % change in risk · less risk →Factors, ranked by biggest effect≈24×#1164%#2109%#372%#466%#556%#6≈37%#733%#829%#928%#10≈19%#11Everythingelseno single number

Scroll sideways to see every factor →

Tap a pill to answer yours.

Where you sit

0 of 11 answered

Answer the 11 factors above to see which ones raise your own risk, which sit at the reference, and which the studies have no number for.

Relative risk versus each factor’s reference group; above the line is lower risk, below it higher.

Sources (10)Thun et al., N Engl J Med 2013 · Fischer F, Kraemer A, BMC Public Health 2015 · Jiang Y, Wang Y, Yang M, Front Public Health 2026 and 7 moreShow all
  1. [1]M. J. Thun et al. 50-year trends in smoking-related mortality in the United States. N Engl J Med, 368(4):351-64, 2013. doi:10.1056/NEJMsa1211127 Evidence: High
  2. [2]R. Varraso et al. Processed Meat Intake and Risk of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease among Middle-aged Women. EClinicalMedicine, 14:88-95, 2019. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2019.07.014 Evidence: Low
  3. [3]R. Varraso et al. Prospective study of cured meats consumption and risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in men. Am J Epidemiol, 166(12):1438-45, 2007. doi:10.1093/aje/kwm235 Evidence: Low
  4. [4]Y. Jiang, Y. Wang, and M. Yang. Association between current e-cigarette use and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a meta-analysis focusing on exclusive e-cigarette users. Front Public Health, 14:1802572, 2026. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2026.1802572 Evidence: Low
  5. [5]G. Behrens et al. Body size and physical activity in relation to incidence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. CMAJ, 186(12):E457-69, 2014. doi:10.1503/cmaj.140025 Evidence: Low
  6. [6]F. Fischer and A. Kraemer. Meta-analysis of the association between second-hand smoke exposure and ischaemic heart diseases, COPD and stroke. BMC Public Health, 15:1202, 2015. doi:10.1186/s12889-015-2489-4 Evidence: High
  7. [7]J. Kaluza et al. Fruit and vegetable consumption and risk of COPD: a prospective cohort study of men. Thorax, 72(6):500-509, 2017. doi:10.1136/thoraxjnl-2015-207851 Evidence: Low
  8. [8]R. Varraso et al. Alternate Healthy Eating Index 2010 and risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among US women and men: prospective study. BMJ, 350:h286, 2015. doi:10.1136/bmj.h286 Evidence: Moderate
  9. [9]N. Valisoltani et al. Fiber intake and risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A systematic review and dose response meta-analysis. Food Sci Nutr, 11(11):6775-6788, 2023. doi:10.1002/fsn3.3640 Evidence: Low
  10. [10]M. Strak et al. Long term exposure to low level air pollution and mortality in eight European cohorts within the ELAPSE project: pooled analysis. BMJ, 374:n1904, 2021. doi:10.1136/bmj.n1904 Evidence: High

Every factor, one by one

One quick question each. The charts above follow your answers, and so does every other What Matters page that asks the same question.

  1. #1Smoking[1]≈24×

    Smoking is the cause of most COPD, and nothing else on this page comes close.

    Do you smoke?

    reference
    ≈+660%
    ≈13×
    ≈24×

    Not answered yet. Tap an option to save your answer. Saved to your quiz answers, so the quiz shows it too.

  2. #2Processed meat[2, 3]+164%

    Cured meats are high in nitrites, which can damage lung tissue.

    How often do you eat processed meat (bacon, deli, sausage)?

    +164%
    +29%
    reference

    Not answered yet. Tap an option to save your answer. Saved to your quiz answers, so the quiz shows it too.

  3. #3Vaping[4]+109%

    Across 15 studies, people who currently vape had about twice the odds of having COPD, and the excess held among exclusive vapers who had never smoked cigarettes (odds ratio 2.09), which points to a link beyond smoking history.

    Do you vape or use e-cigarettes?

    reference
    +109%
    +109%

    Same number, 2 answers: The meta-analysis compared current e-cigarette users with non-users; it did not split current use by how often.

    Not answered yet. Tap an option to save your answer. Saved to your quiz answers, so the quiz shows it too.

  4. #4Waist size[5]+72%

    In the same cohort, the largest waists went with 72% more new COPD than normal waists, even after accounting for smoking and for body weight itself.

    How’s your waistline?

    reference
    reference
    +72%

    Not answered yet. Tap an option to save your answer. Saved to your quiz answers, so the quiz shows it too.

  5. #5Secondhand smoke[6]+66%

    Breathing other people’s smoke carries a real share of the same damage.

    How often are you around other people’s smoke?

    reference
    ≈+29%
    +66%

    Not answered yet. Tap an option to save your answer. Saved to your quiz answers, so the quiz shows it too.

  6. #6Body weight[5]+56%

    In 113,279 older US adults, being underweight (BMI under 18.5) went with 56% more new COPD.

    How would you describe your weight?

    +56%
    reference
    reference
    reference
    reference

    Not answered yet. Tap an option to save your answer. Saved to your quiz answers, so the quiz shows it too.

  7. #7Fruit & vegetables[7]≈−37%

    In 44,335 Swedish men followed for 13 years, the biggest fruit and vegetable eaters (5.3 or more servings a day) developed 34% to 40% less COPD than the smallest (under 2 a day), and each extra daily serving cut risk by 8% in current smokers and 4% in former smokers.

    How many servings of vegetables and fruit do you eat a day?

    reference
    ≈−12%
    ≈−37%

    Not answered yet. Tap an option to save your answer. Saved to your quiz answers, so the quiz shows it too.

  8. #8Overall diet[8]−33%

    In over 120,000 US nurses and health professionals, the people eating the healthiest diets (whole grains, nuts, fish and healthy fats, little red or processed meat, refined grains or sugary drinks) developed a third less COPD than those eating the least healthy, and the same held in current and former smokers.

    How would you describe your diet?

    reference
    −2%
    −26%
    −33%

    Not answered yet. Tap an option to save your answer. Saved to your quiz answers, so the quiz shows it too.

  9. #9Physical inactivity[5]−29%

    In 113,279 older US adults, people who exercised five or more times a week developed 29% less COPD than people who never did, after accounting for smoking.

    How many days a week do you get 30+ minutes of exercise?

    reference
    ≈−11%
    ≈−20%
    −29%

    Not answered yet. Tap an option to save your answer. Saved to your quiz answers, so the quiz shows it too.

  10. #10Fiber[9]−28%

    Across five cohort studies and 213,912 people, the highest fiber eaters had 28% less COPD than the lowest, with cereal and fruit fiber carrying the signal and vegetable fiber showing none; every extra 10 g of fiber a day went with 26% less COPD.

    How much fiber do you eat (whole grains, beans, fruit, vegetables)?

    reference
    ≈−15%
    −28%

    Not answered yet. Tap an option to save your answer. Saved to your quiz answers, so the quiz shows it too.

  11. #11Air pollution[10]≈+19%

    In eight European cohorts with 325,367 adults followed for almost 20 years, every 5 µg/m³ more fine particulate matter (PM2.5) where people lived went with 13% more COPD deaths, and the link held even at levels below current air-quality standards.

    What’s the air like where you live?

    reference
    ≈+19%
    ≈+72%

    Not answered yet. Tap an option to save your answer. Saved to your quiz answers, so the quiz shows it too.

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