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Children who eat a Mediterranean-style diet seem to have a lower risk of developing asthma, suggests new research. The survey of nearly 700 children living on the Greek island of Crete showed that a high intake of nuts, grapes, tomatoes and oranges was linked with a 50-80% lower risk of wheezing in 7 to 18 year olds.

 

The Mediterranean diet has been a focus of study over the years since it was found, in the 1950s, to offer protection against heart disease and some cancers. The diet is characterised by whole-grain cereals, oily fish, wine, fruits, nuts, legumes and olive oil. These foods boost the diet’s levels of antioxidants, e.g. beta-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E and polyphenols.

 

In the Crete survey, researchers used a food frequency questionnaire to classify the children as consumers of a Mediterranean diet if they regularly ate 12 key foodstuffs. Children who adhered to this type of diet were less likely to experience hay fever, skin allergy and wheezing. When individual foods were examined, the strongest association seemed to be with nuts, although there was good evidence for daily consumption of oranges, apples, and tomatoes.

The prevalence of asthma in Europe is rising, with more than 30 million people suffering from the condition at an annual cost of €17.7bn to health services. The researchers suggest that children’s airways are vulnerable to damage by environmental toxins. Certain dietary components, especially n-3 (omega) fats and antioxidant nutrients, help protect lung cells from this damage. Thus, children with a low intake of protective nutrients would experience a greater risk of allergic conditions. Helpful nutrients supplied by a Mediterranean diet include selenium, glutathione, resveratrol, polyphenols, vitamin C and vitamin E.

The study concluded that a Mediterranean diet during childhood could have a beneficial impact on asthma risk. The charity Asthma UK is now funding a number of research projects to further explore this association.

For more information see

Chatzi L et al (2007). Protective effects of fruits, vegetables and the Mediterranean diet on asthma and allergies among children in Crete. British Medical Journal, (Epub ahead of print) doi:10.1136/thx.2006.69419.