by Playfuls Staff |
6th April 2007
Children might just breathe more easily if they maintained a Mediterranean-style diet, rich in fruits, vegetables and olive oil, according to a new study.
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Researchers have a new hypothesis: children maintaining a Mediterranean diet could escape the trouble of childhood respiratory allergies and asthma. Dr. Paul Cullinan of Britain's Royal Brompton Hospital and National Heart and Lung Institute, and colleagues in Greece and Spain, studied 690 children from Crete, aged 7 to 18.
The scientists found that those who ate foods such as olive oil and whole grains had fewer symptoms. The study was based on questionnaires filled out by parents on their children's' diet and respiratory problems.
Children who ate the most fresh fruits and nuts were the least likely to suffer from breathing allergies, and those who ate the most margarine were the most likely to, they found. “Eighty percent of children ate fresh fruit (and 68 percent vegetables) at least twice a day,” the researchers wrote in their report, published in the journal Thorax.
Grapes, oranges, apples and fresh tomatoes, the main local products in Crete, had no effect on skin allergies but children who ate more of them were less likely to have wheezing or runny noses, the researchers found.
“A high consumption of nuts was found to be inversely associated with wheezing, whereas margarine increased the risk of both wheeze and allergic rhinitis (sneezing and runny nose),” they wrote. “Diet may explain the relative lack of allergic symptoms in this population.”
They said grapes had never before been shown to protect against allergies. Compounds found in grape skins, especially antioxidant substances, may be responsible, according to their study. Red grape skin contains high levels of antioxidants as well as resveratrol, a potent polyphenol, known to curb inflammatory activity, say the authors.
Lead author Leda Chatzi from the University of Crete comments: “Our findings indicate that a high dietary intake of commonly consumed fruits and vegetables and nuts may have a protective role on the prevalence of asthma-like symptoms and allergic rhinitis.”
The diet's main nutritional components include beta-carotene, vitamin C, tocopherols, polyphenols, and essential minerals. It is these antioxidants and polyphenols that appear to offer protection, wrote the researchers.
Nuts are a rich source of vitamin E, the body's primary defence against cellular damage caused by free radicals. They also contain high levels of magnesium, which other research suggests may protect against asthma and boost lung power. A daily diet of oranges, apples, and tomatoes also protected against wheezing and allergic rhinitis.
“A high intake of fruit, vegetables and nuts may have a protective role on the prevalence of asthma-like symptoms and allergic rhinitis,” the authors concluded.
Earlier this month, the University of Rochester Medical Center released a survey which suggests 20 percent of U.S. children with persistent asthma have an optimal level of control. “That leaves almost 80 percent who are suffering more than they need to,” said the study's lead author, Dr. Jill Halterman.
The National Institutes of Health says current therapies for asthma, if used consistently and in conjunction with action plans and avoidance of environmental triggers, should make it possible for children to experience no symptoms of asthma, no limitation in function and no serious exacerbations.
Perhaps giving the Mediterranean-style diet a try could prove beneficial to children, from more perspectives than one. Childhood is always a good time to eat your veggies and fruits.
