Mothers who eat apples during pregnancy may protect their children from developing  asthma later in life.

Researchers from the Netherlands and Scotland tracked dietary intake by nearly 2,000 pregnant women and examined the effects of the maternal diet on airway development in more than 1,200 of their children five years later.

Among a variety of foods consumed and recorded by the pregnant women, the researchers found that the children of mothers who ate apples had significantly reduced risk of developing asthma and childhood wheezing, reported science portal EurekAlert.

Asthma is a chronic disease of the airways, which causes attacks of wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and coughing.

There is no cure for asthma, though symptoms sometimes decrease over time. With proper self-management and medical treatment, most people with asthma can live normal lives.

 

Source : IANS (Saturday 7th April, 2007)