Eating a Mediterranean diet could help protect children from respiratory allergies and asthma, a study suggests.
UK, Greek and Spanish researchers assessed the diet and health of almost 700 children living in rural areas of Crete, where such conditions are rare.
They found those with a diet rich in fruit and vegetables were protected against both conditions.
UK experts said the study, in Thorax, added to existing evidence that diet could help control asthma symptoms.
More than five million people in the UK currently have asthma, and one in 10 children is affected.
Overall, children who ate a Mediterranean diet rich in fruit, vegetables and fish had a lower chance of developing asthma or wheeze over their lifetime.
Mediterranean diet
Eating three or more burgers a week was linked to a higher risk of asthma and wheeze but a diet that was generally high in meat did not increase the risk.
The authors, writing in the journal Thorax, said: “Fruit and vegetables contain antioxidants and other biologically active factors which may contribute to the favourable effect of fruit consumption in asthma.
“In particular, foods rich in vitamin C have been reported to relate to better lung function and fewer asthma symptoms.”
They said carotenoids – contained in fruit and vegetables such as sweet potatoes and carrots – and vitamins C and E also have a positive effect on lung function.
According to the research , the authors wrote, “Fruit and vegetables contain antioxidants and other biologically active factors which may contribute to the favourable effect of fruit consumption in asthma.
“In particular, foods rich in vitamin C have been reported to relate to better lung function and fewer asthma symptoms.”
The carotenoids and vitamins C and E in fruit and vegetables were good for lung function.
The authors concluded that “adherence to a Mediterranean diet may provide protection against wheeze and asthma in childhood”.
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August 22nd, 2010 at 5:13 pm
IF YOUR doctor suggested burning the inside of your lungs to treat asthma you might be tempted to seek a second opinion. For Alison Martin, however, the treatment offered the chance of a healthy life and she jumped at it.
After years of repeated asthma attacks, high doses of drugs and frequent hospital admissions the 55-year-old medical receptionist from High Peak in Derbyshire had almost run out of options.
“I was admitted to hospital on many occasions and suffered severe attacks all the time,” says Alison. “It was so bad I would need intravenous steroids to get my asthma under control. Any time I got a cold or a chest infection it just got out of hand.”
Since becoming the first person in Britain to undergo the radical “burning” therapy in 2004 Alison hasn’t been back to hospital, rarely suffers attacks and has drastically reduced the amount of medicine she needs.
“It’s been a wonderful breakthrough for me,” she says. “I really believe it’s the best thing I’ve ever had done. It’s completely changed my life.”
Bronchial thermoplasty has been subjected to clinical trials for nearly a decade. The US Food and Drug Administration recently sanctioned its use in patients who fail to get their asthma under control with conventional medicines.
It’s a move which could pave the way for the treatment on the NHS, giving hope to the estimated 500,000 UK sufferers for whom medication does not work.
About 5.2 million people in Britain have asthma. According to the charity Asthma UK it kills one person every seven hours and leaves more than 70,000 needing hospital treatment each year.
Treatments have advanced in the last two decades. Many patients live normal lives by taking a small daily dose of inhaled steroids which prevents inflammation in the airways and reduces attacks.
http://www.express.co.uk/features/view/193567/Asthma-New-treatment-offers-hope