An Apple a Day… to avoid Athsma

According to USA Today, Eating apples while you are pregnant can help prevent Athsma in your child. The University of Aberdeen in Scotland ran a study and have come to an initial conclusion that mothers of five-year-old children who ate the most apples while pregnant had children with less likelihood of suffering from Athsma (or even just experiencing episodes of wheezing).

Another study by the European Respiratory Journal found that, if your child has athsma already, drinking apple juice (but not necessarily eating apples, can help people to control wheezing associated with athsma.  From an article on HealthCentral.com:

The researchers found that drinking a glass of apple juice every day lessened both the severity and the frequency of wheezing, which is probably the most common asthma symptom.

The flavonoids in apple juice are believed to be the secret behind this discovery. The article also states that eating bananas has the same effect (albeit not as effective as apple juice). It also seems that the juice does not have to be fresh – apple juice from concentrate also provides the benefit!

Another article on MedicineNet.com says that children of mothers who ate more than 4 apples a week while they were pregnant have a 27% lower risk of wheezing and a nearly 50% lower risk of ever devloping athsma.

So, as if we needed another reason to eat more fruit, if you want your children to be healthier and able to be more active, eat apples while you are pregnant with them, and give them apple juice to drink at least once per day!

Namaste,
Andrew

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