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Parents may breathe a sigh of relief when they see their kids eating nutritious foods ... and the kids may breathe a little easier, too. Hi, I'm Dr. Cindy Haines, host of HealthDay TV.
A number of studies over the years have found possible connections between diet and allergies, and related conditions such as asthma.
A new study from European researchers took a closer look at diet and asthma in kids. The study included about 50,000 children ages 8 to 12 from 20 countries. The researchers found that kids who ate more fruit were less likely to have wheezing. And overall, asthma was less common in kids who ate fruit, vegetables, and fish more often.
Kids who followed a Mediterranean-type diet were also found less likely to have had asthma or currently wheeze. This type of diet includes fruit and vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds, fish, and olive oil, and less red meat. The researchers noted that asthma was more common in kids who ate a lot of hamburgers.
The USDA recommends that kids ages 6 to 11 get 2 1/2 cups of vegetables and 1 1/2 cups of fruit each day.
