Untreated milk boosts kids' immunity
Children who drink farm-fresh milk appear to be significantly less at risk of developing asthma and allergies, despite concerns that unpasteurised milk can contain disease-causing microbes such as salmonella. University of Basel studies of more than 14,800 children between five and 13 throughout Europe found that consuming raw milk and other farm-fresh dairy products provided the same level of protection against asthma and allergies, regardless of whether the children lived on a farm. The researchers haven't identified what properties of farm milk are beneficial, Reuters reports.
Apple bonus for baby
And children whose mothers eat plenty of apples and fish during pregnancy also appear to be protected from asthma and allergies such as eczema. A Dutch-Scottish study of more than 1,200 five- year-olds found that those whose mothers had eaten more than four apples a week were 37 per cent less likely to have ever wheezed, 46 per cent less likely to have had asthma symptoms, and 53 per cent less likely to have had doctor-confirmed asthma, compared with children whose mothers had eaten one or
no apples a week. Those whose mothers ate fish once or more a week were 43 per cent less likely to have had eczema by the age of five than children of mothers who never ate fish. The researchers speculate that apples may be beneficial because they contain flavonoids, healthday.com reports. No other foods tested, including vegetables, fruit juice or wholegrain products appeared to give the same defence.
Peel good factor wards off cancer