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Lung Friendly Apples Help Fight Asthma

If you're expecting, scientists say an apple a day may do more than keep you healthy. Adding apples to your diet may keep your baby healthy, too.

There have been plenty of studies on the health benefits of eating apples, but a study published in the September 2007 issue of Thorax found that when a woman ate apples during pregnancy it seemed to have an effect on her unborn baby.

More than a thousand mothers-to be took part in the study. After the babies were born, they were followed over five years. During this time researchers found a significant decrease in asthma and wheezing among children of apple eating pregnant women. Another finding of the study was that mothers who ate fish during their pregnancy had children with a lowered incidence of doctor-confirmed eczema.

Another apple related study published in the June 2007 European Respiratory Journal also showed a link between apple juice consumption and a reduction in wheezing among children.

Among children who experienced what was characterized as “current wheeze” (where the child had wheezing or whistling in the chest in the last 12 months), there was a significant, dose response association between consumption of apple juice and a reduced incidence of the wheezing.

The researchers found that drinking apple juice made from concentrate and consumption of bananas one or more times a day (compared to drinking apple juice or eating bananas less than once a month) was directly associated with improvement of wheezing occurences.

According to the authors of the Thorax paper, the protective effect from apples is attributable to their powerful phytochemical content. Phytochemicals are compounds found in plants that mimic hormones and other substances that your body produces. Apples contain flavonoids, isoflavonoids, and phenolic acids. Apples and apple products combined are the largest source of free phenolics in people’s diet in the US and in Europe.

References:

Willers et al. Maternal food consumption during pregnancy and asthma, respiratory and atopic symptoms in 5-year-old children. Thorax 2007; 62: 772-778.

Okoko et al. Childhood asthma and fruit consumption. Eur Respir J 2007 29: 1161-1168.

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