Jennifer Warner , "Apples May Keep Asthma Away", Web MD, September 20,
2007,
Link: http://www.webmd.com/asthma/news/20070919/apples-may-keep-asthma-away

Eating an apple a day may help pregnant women prevent asthma and
wheezing in their children.

A new study shows children of women who consumed apples regularly
while they were pregnant were much less likely to suffer from asthma
or wheezing by age 5 than those whose mothers rarely ate apples during
pregnancy.

Childhood asthma is a growing problem in the U.S., and researchers say
the results suggests that eating more apples during pregnancy may help
protect children against the disease. Apples Protect Against Asthma

The study, published in Thorax, compared the relationship between what
mothers ate during pregnancy and rates of childhood asthma and
wheezing in more than 1,200 women and their children.

The results showed apples were the only food associated with a reduced
risk of asthma and wheezing in children. Children of mothers who ate
the most apples (more than four a week) had a 27% lower risk of ever
wheezing and about half the risk of childhood asthma than those who
ate the least (0-1 a week).

The study also showed that drinking apple juice made from concentrate
and eating one or more bananas a day was associated with improved
wheezing occurrences.

Researcher S.M. Willers of Utrecht University in the Netherlands and
colleagues say the protective effect of apples is most likely due to
their phytochemical content, including flavonoids and other compounds
that have been found to have a variety of healthy effects.