An apple a day keeps your asthma at bay

A study published today has revealed that the number of children being admitted to hospital with symptoms of asthma has fallen since the smoking ban, which took effect in July 2007.

Research shows there was a 12.3% fall in admissions in the first year following the introduction of the law, and these have continued to drop in subsequent years.

Asthma affects one in 11 children in the UK, and can be caused by a variety of factors including family history, exposure to tobacco smoke or premature birth.

There are many over-the-counter remedies to help manage asthma on a day-to-day basis, however many parents may not know that their child’s diet can affect the severity of their asthma.

As part of the KiddiChef grown-up forum, we provide information on how different foods can help disorders like asthma, eczema and hay-fever.

Asthma is a respiratory ailment that causes inflammation in the lungs. Omega-3 from flaxseed and fatty fishes, such as salmon, mackerel or tuna, may reduce asthma inflammation as well as promoting healthy brain and heart functions.

Fruit and vegetables rich in Vitamin C- may decrease asthma wheezing symptoms.  These include apples, berries, citrus fruits, cabbage, broccoli, leafy greens, sweet potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and red peppers. Foods made with vegetables and fruits, such as smoothies, juices, stews, pasta dishes and vegetable-based soups, are also rich in antioxidants.

Studies have found that people with asthma tend to have lower blood and tissue levels of magnesium, and increasing magnesium intake over the long run can reduce the incidence of asthma attacks. Magnesium rich foods such as green leafy vegetables, legumes, whole grains and tofu may prevent asthma attacks, whereas low dietary intake of magnesium-rich foods can increase asthma symptoms such as wheezing, coughing and chest congestion.

Seeds, nuts and plant-based oils such as sunflower seeds and oil, almonds, almond butter, hazelnuts, wheat germ oil, peanut butter, peanuts and soybean oil, provide your body with unsaturated fats and vitamin E nutrients. It has been noted that vitamin E may also decrease asthma-related lung inflammation.

Make Fish the Dish of the Day: Fish Keeps Asthma Symptoms at Bay!

A new study carried out in Rotterdam has found that introducing fish into your child’s diet between the ages of 6 months- 1 year can help in reducing the risk of developing asthma later on in life.

 The study assessed the medical records of 7210 children, along side their early fish consumption levels, and found that 40-45% of the children who were not introduced to fish until after the age of 1 had developed symptoms of asthma, compared to 30% of children who consumed fish between the ages of 6 months and 1 year.

The study concludes that introducing fish into your child’s diet during this window of opportunity can reduce the risks of developing asthma by around 36%.

It was also found that the benefits of fish to children’s health was not dependant on the amount of fish consumed, meaning that introducing even a little fish into your child’s diet during this time will give them a better chance of staving off asthma.

Jessica Kiefte-De Jong, lead author of the study, states ‘introduction to fish between 6 and 12 months- but no fish consumption afterward- is associated with a lower prevalence of wheezing.’

It is believed that these health benefits are a result of certain fatty acids that fish contains that can help to protect the body against the symptoms of asthma.

Paediatrician T. Bernard Kinane comments that these results are not surprising, stating that they ‘make reasonable sense because that’s when the immune system is getting educated.’

Even though the benefits of fish in the protection against asthma only appear to fall between the ages of 6-12 months, this does not mean that fish should not be included in your child’s diet at any age.

Fish have many other health benefits, the fact that they are a great source of protein and are high in Omega-3 fatty acids helping greatly in growth and organ health, as well as being a “brain food” for a healthy mind.