Context

Cigarette smoking has been identified as the major risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); nevertheless, many patients with COPD have never smoked, which suggests the involvement of other modifiable risk factors such as diet. While some studies have revealed an inverse relationship between a prudent dietary pattern and COPD risk and a direct association between a Western dietary pattern and COPD risk in both men1 and women,2 the role of overall dietary quality as reflected by the Alternate Healthy Eating Index 2010 (AHEI-2010, a measure of overall diet quality) and COPD risk remains unknown. This study examines the association between AHEI-2010 and COPD risk among US men and women.