Scientists suggest that some foods may be useful in the fight against allergies
Eating more tomatoes, eggplant, cucumber, green beans and zucchini can reduce children's risk of asthma, according to a Spanish study published in the September issue of medical journal Paediatric Allergy and Immunology.
Researchers at the University of Crete, Greece studied 460 children aged six and a half. They found that those who ate more than 40g a day of fruity vegetables - that is, those that grow from a blossom on a vine grown from a seed - and more than 60g of fish every day were less likely to suffer from wheezing, eczema and other allergies during childhood.
Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases affecting children all over the world. It affects the airways or tubes that carry air into and out of our lungs. If you have asthma, the inside of these tubes become swollen which makes them sensitive to pollutants and irritants.
As a result, your airways become narrower and less air gets through to your lungs, this causes symptoms like wheezing (a whistling sound as you breathe), coughing, and tightness in your chest.
A study published in this month's British Medical Journal reported that 5.8 per cent of 10-year-olds in Hong Kong had suffered from wheezing compared to 3.8 per cent in Beijing and 3.4 per cent in Guangzhou. Recent studies among adults in London and Australia found that eating more vegetables and fruit particularly, apples and pears, reduced the likelihood of asthma.
What counts as a serving?