Fruit and vegetable reduce asthma risk
A diet rich in vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots and leafy vegetables, could cut the risk of adult asthma by about 20 per cent, says new research.
The \”Five-a-day\” message is well known, but applying this does not seem to be filtering down into everyday life. Recent studies have shown that consumers in both Europe and the US are failing to meet recommendations from the WHO to eat 400 grams of fruit and vegetables a day.
The new study, from the Instituto Nacional de Salud Publica, Mexico, reports that women who ate a diet high in fruits and veg such as tomatoes, carrots and leafy vegetables considerably reduced their risk of asthma, a condition that affects 30 million people in Europe.
Published in the journal Thorax (Vol. 61, pp. 209-215), the researchers report the results of a prospective investigation of 68535 women whose dietary habits were recorded as part of the French branch of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).
Dietary intakes were measured from food frequency questionnaires of the daily intake of 208 food items.
After eleven years of follow-up, the researchers found that women who consumed more than 90 grams per day of leafy vegetables had a 22 per cent lower risk of asthma than those who ate less than 40 grams per day.
Similar risk reductions were also seen for tomatoes (20 per cent) and carrots (18 per cent).
The researchers also reported that women who used dietary supplements were m ore likely to be thinner, eat significantly more fruit and vegetables, but also more likely to report allergies.
The underlying mechanism or mechanisms of protection, say the scientists, is most probably due to the a combination and/or interaction of nutrients from the fruit and vegetables.
\”One biological mechanism may be associated with the effect of antioxidant vitamins, such as carotenoids. Carrots and leafy vegetables are rich in carotenoids (alpha- and beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin) which protect cells from oxidative stress.
Tomato juice, carrot juice and spinach powder have been shown to increase plasma levels of cystolic glutathione transferase [a family of enzymes that can play a role in the detoxification of lipid peroxidantion products], an effect attributed to carotenoids,\” wrote lead author Isabelle Romieu.
The researchers also noted that leafy vegetables are a rich source of folate, which has been linked to reduction in DNA damage due to oxidative stress.
The strengths of the study include the large number of prevalent asthma cases and the wide variability of the reported diets. However, the use of questionnaires did not permit the researchers to assess modifications of a woman\’s diet due to their asthma.
The study is yet more support for increasing the daily intake of fruit and vegetables – a recommendation that should be relatively easy to implement.Fruit and veg may cut adult asthma risk
A diet rich in vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots and leafy vegetables, could cut the risk of adult asthma by about 20 per cent, says new research.
Source: http://www.nutraingredients.com
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