A study involving more than a million kids suggests the striking worldwide variation in childhood rates of allergies, asthma, and eczema is related to diet.
Preventing Asthma with Fruits and Vegetables
4.6/5 - (44 votes)
Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
“Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children.” And, the prevalence is increasing around the world. Despite this, most research dollars are spent on adult chronic diseases. “One might ask whether this is because our politicians and senior administrators feel themselves to be more likely to suffer from the latter, and ignore [allergic] diseases because they have their major impact on children and young adults [who don’t vote]. [Imagine] how much more effort would be put into elucidating causes of a disorder that increased [at the same escalated rate] in the middle aged and elderly.”
Well, finally: an international study of asthma and allergies in childhood, studying more than a million children in nearly a hundred countries, making it “the most comprehensive survey of these diseases ever undertaken.” What did they find?
They found “a wide variability in the prevalence and severity of asthma, [allergies,] and eczema.” We’re talking “20-fold to 60-fold differences in prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic [runny nose], and atopic eczema” around the world. Striking worldwide variations in the prevalence of allergic symptoms. What does it all mean? Well, “[t]he large variability…suggests a crucial role of [some kind of] local…characteristics [determining] the differences in prevalence between one place and another.” What kind of environmental factors?
Like, why does the prevalence of itchy eyes and runny noses range anywhere from 1% in India, for example, up to 45% of kids elsewhere? There were some associations with regional air pollution and smoking rates, but the most significant associations were with diet. Adolescents “showed a consistent pattern of decreases in symptoms of wheeze (current and severe), allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic eczema, associated with increased…consumption of [plants]. The more their calories and protein came from plant sources, the less allergies they seemed to have.
In general, there seems to be an “association between an increase in asthma prevalence and a decreased consumption of fresh fruits, green vegetables, and other dietary sources of antioxidants,” helping to explain why “the prevalence of asthma and respiratory symptoms are lower in populations with high intake of foods of plant origin.” “Intakes of high fat and sodium, and low fiber and carbohydrates are linked with…asthma, while traditional and vegetarian diets are associated with lower rates…”
For example, if you look closer within India, in a study of more than 100,000 people, “[t]hose who consumed [meat, for example], daily or even occasionally, were more likely to report asthma than those who were strictly vegetarian,”—which meant also avoiding eggs. Eggs have been associated, along with soda, with an “increased risk of respiratory symptoms and asthma [in schoolchildren] whereas consumptions of soy [foods] and fruits [were] associated with reduced risk of respiratory symptoms.” In fact, removing eggs from the diet, along with dairy, may improve lung function in asthmatic children in as little as eight weeks. So maybe it’s a combination of eating less animal foods and more plants.
“[H]igh vegetable intake,” for example, has been found “protective” in children, cutting the odds of allergic asthma in half. And, “[f]ruit showed a consistent protective association…for current and severe wheeze and [runny nose] in…adolescent[s]” and for current and severe asthma, allergies, and eczema in children.
But, why? I’ve talked about the endocrine-disrupting industrial pollutants building up in the meat supply that may increase the risk of allergic diseases, but the increase in asthma may be a combination of both “a more toxic environment [and] a more susceptible population.”
“The dietary changes which have occurred over recent years may have led to a reduction in these natural antioxidant defences, resulting in a shift of the antioxidant status of the whole population and leading to increased susceptibility to oxidant attack and airway inflammation.”
In adults, for example, the risk of airway “hyper-reactivity [may increase] seven-fold among those with the lowest intake of vitamin C [from plant foods], while the lowest intake of saturated fats gave a 10-fold protection,” presumably because of saturated fats have a role in triggering inflammation.
The “protective effect of plant[-based] food may [also] be mediated through effects on intestinal microflora.” It turns out that “[d]ifferences in the indigenous intestinal flora might affect the development and priming of the immune system in early childhood.”
Kids with allergies, for example, tend to be less likely to harbor lactobacilli, the good bacteria that’s found in fermented foods, and, also, just naturally on fruits and vegetables. And lactobacillus probiotics may actually help with childhood asthma, which may help explain why children raised on largely organic vegetarian diets may have a lower prevalence of allergic reactions. Infants raised in this way tend to have more good lactobacilli in their guts, compared to controls, though they were also more likely to have been born naturally, breastfed longer, and not given as many antibiotics.
So, you can’t really tell whether it’s the diet, until you put it to the test—which we’ll explore next.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- K Saito, T Yokoyama, Y Miyake, S Sasaki, K Tanaka, Y Ohya, Y Hirota. Maternal meat and fat consumption during pregnancy and suspected atopic eczema in Japanese infants aged 3-4 months: The Osaka Maternal and Child Health Study. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2010 21(1 - Pt - 1):38 – 46.
- Y Miyake, K Tanaka, H Okubo, S Sasaki, M Arakawa. Dietary meat and fat intake and prevalence of rhinoconjunctivitis in pregnant Japanese women: Baseline data from the Kyushu Okinawa Maternal and Child Health Study. Nutr J. 2012 11:19.
- Y Kaneko, Y Motohashi, H Nakamura, T Endo, A Eboshida. Increasing prevalence of Japanese cedar pollinosis: A meta-regression analysis. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2005 136(4):365 – 371.
- H Adachi, Y Hirai, S Sasaki, M Enomoto, A Fukami, E Kumagai, E Esaki, T Imaizumi. Trends in Dietary Intakes and Serum Cholesterol Levels over 50 Years in Tanushimaru in Japanese Men. Food and Nutrition Sciences. 2011 2:476-481.
- J.L. Suen, C.H. Hung, H.S. Yu, S.K. Huang. Alkylphenols--potential modulators of the allergic response. Kaohsiung J Med Sci. 2012 28(7 -Suppl):S43 – 8.
- L J Guillette Jr, D B Pickford, D A Crain, A A Rooney, H F Percival. Reduction in penis size and plasma testosterone concentrations in juvenile alligators living in a contaminated environment. Gen Comp Endocrinol. 1996 101(1):32 -42.
- S De Coster, N van Larebeke. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals: Associated disorders and mechanisms of action. J Environ Public Health. 2012 2012:713696.
- L S Birnbaum. State of the science of endocrine disruptors. Environ Health Perspect. 2013 121(4):A107.
- A M Soto, H Justicia, J W Wray, C Sonnenschein. P-Nonyl-phenol: An estrogenic xenobiotic released from
- R Renner. European bans on surfactant trigger transatlantic debate. Environ Sci Technol. 1997 31(7):316A - 20A.
- R J B Peters, H Beeltje, R J van Delft. Xeno-estrogenic compounds in precipitation. J Environ Monit. 2008 10(6):760 – 769.
- B Shao, H Han, D Li, Y Ma, X Tu, Y Wu. Analysis of alkylphenol and bisphenol A in meat by accelerated solvent extraction and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Food Chemistry. 2007 105(3):1236–1241.
- F Ferrara, F Fabietti, M Delise, E Funari. Alkylphenols and alkylphenol ethoxylates contamination of crustaceans and fishes from the Adriatic Sea (Italy). Chemosphere. 2005 59(8):1145 – 1150.
- A Blom, E Ekman, A Johannisson, L Norrgren, M Pesonen. Effects of xenoestrogenic environmental pollutants on the proliferation of a human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 1998 34(3):306 – 310.
- I Mao, Y Lu, M Chen. A simplified method for simultaneous quantitation of alkylphenols andalkylphenol ethoxylates in meat and fish using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry. 2006 86(10):713--722.
- P Ellwood, M I Asher, L García-Marcos, H Williams, U Keil, C Robertson, G Nagel. Do fast foods cause asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema? Global findings from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) phase three. Thorax. 2013 68(4):351 – 360.
- E von Muthius. The burden of childhood asthma. Arch Dis Child. 2000 82(2):112--5.
- J Mallol, J Crane, E von Muthius, J Odhiamo, U Keil, A Stewart, ISAAC Phase Three Study Group. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase Three: A Global Synthesis. Allegrol Immunopathy (Madr.). 2013 41(2):73--85.
- JO Warner. Worldwide variations in the prevalence of atopic symptoms: what does it all mean? Thorax 1999 54(2):S46--51.
- Asher MI, Stewart AW, Mallol J, Montefort S, Lai CK, Aït-Khaled N, Odhiambo J; ISAAC Phase One Study Group. Which population level environmental factors are associated with asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema? Review of the ecological analyses of ISAAC Phase One. Respir Res. 2010(11):8.
- C Bime, CY Wei, J Holbrook, LJ Smith, RA Wise. Association of dietary soy genistein intake with lung function and asthma control: a post-hoc analysis of patients enrolled in a prospective multicentre clinical trial. Prim Care Respir J. 2012 21(4):398--404.
- JL Protudjer, GP Sevenhuysen, CD Ramsey, AL Kozyrskyj, AB Becker. Low vegetable intake is associated with allergic asthma and moderate-to-severe airway hyperresponsiveness. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2012 47(12):1159--69.
- Agrawal S, Pearce N, Ebrahim S. Prevalence and risk factors for self-reported asthma in an adult Indian population: a cross-sectional survey. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2013 17(2):275--82.
- HJ Tsai, AC Tsai. The association of diet with respiratory symptoms and asthma in schoolchildren in Taipei, Taiwan. J Asthma. 2007 44(8):599--603.
- NA Yusoff, SM Hampton, JW Dickerson, JB Morgan. The effects of exclusion of dietary egg and milk in the management of asthmatic children: a pilot study. J R Soc Promot Health. 2004 124(2):74--80.
- A Seaton, DJ Godden, K Brown. Increase in asthma: a more toxic environment or a more susceptible population? Thorax. 1994 49(2):171--4.
- A Seaton, G Devereux. Diet, infection and wheezy illness: lessons from adults. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2000 (11)13:37--40.
- B Björkstén.Effects of intestinal microflora and the environment on the development of asthma and allergy. Springer Semin Immunopathol. 2004 25(3-4):257--70.
- Björkstén B, Naaber P, Sepp E, Mikelsaar M. The intestinal microflora in allergic Estonian and Swedish 2-year-old children. Clin Exp Allergy. 1999 29(3):342-6.
- Vitali B, Minervini G, Rizzello CG, Spisni E, Maccaferri S, Brigidi P, Gobbetti M, Di Cagno R. Novel probiotic candidates for humans isolated from raw fruits and vegetables. Food Microbiol. 2012 31(1):116-25.
- Chen YS, Jan RL, Lin YL, Chen HH, Wang JY. Randomized placebo-controlled trial of lactobacillus on asthmatic children with allergic rhinitis. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2010 45(11):1111-20.
- Alm JS, Swartz J, Björkstén B, Engstrand L, Engström J, Kühn I, Lilja G, Möllby R, Norin E, Pershagen G, Reinders C, Wreiber K, Scheynius A. An anthroposophic lifestyle and intestinal microflora in infancy. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2002 13(6):402-11.
- Lindahl O, Lindwall L, Spångberg A, Stenram A, Ockerman PA. Vegan regimen with reduced medication in the treatment of bronchial asthma. J Asthma. 1985;22(1):45-55.
- air pollution
- allergies
- animal protein
- antibiotics
- antioxidants
- asthma
- breastfeeding
- calories
- children
- chronic diseases
- dairy
- eczema
- eggs
- elderly
- endocrine disruptors
- fermented foods
- fruit
- immune function
- India
- industrial pollutants
- inflammation
- lung health
- meat
- organic foods
- oxidative stress
- persistent organic pollutants
- plant protein
- Plant-Based Diets
- probiotics
- protein
- respiratory infections
- saturated fat
- smoking
- soda
- soy
- vegans
- vegetables
- vegetarians
- vitamin C
Below is an approximation of this video’s audio content. To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring, watch the above video.
“Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children.” And, the prevalence is increasing around the world. Despite this, most research dollars are spent on adult chronic diseases. “One might ask whether this is because our politicians and senior administrators feel themselves to be more likely to suffer from the latter, and ignore [allergic] diseases because they have their major impact on children and young adults [who don’t vote]. [Imagine] how much more effort would be put into elucidating causes of a disorder that increased [at the same escalated rate] in the middle aged and elderly.”
Well, finally: an international study of asthma and allergies in childhood, studying more than a million children in nearly a hundred countries, making it “the most comprehensive survey of these diseases ever undertaken.” What did they find?
They found “a wide variability in the prevalence and severity of asthma, [allergies,] and eczema.” We’re talking “20-fold to 60-fold differences in prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic [runny nose], and atopic eczema” around the world. Striking worldwide variations in the prevalence of allergic symptoms. What does it all mean? Well, “[t]he large variability…suggests a crucial role of [some kind of] local…characteristics [determining] the differences in prevalence between one place and another.” What kind of environmental factors?
Like, why does the prevalence of itchy eyes and runny noses range anywhere from 1% in India, for example, up to 45% of kids elsewhere? There were some associations with regional air pollution and smoking rates, but the most significant associations were with diet. Adolescents “showed a consistent pattern of decreases in symptoms of wheeze (current and severe), allergic rhinoconjunctivitis and atopic eczema, associated with increased…consumption of [plants]. The more their calories and protein came from plant sources, the less allergies they seemed to have.
In general, there seems to be an “association between an increase in asthma prevalence and a decreased consumption of fresh fruits, green vegetables, and other dietary sources of antioxidants,” helping to explain why “the prevalence of asthma and respiratory symptoms are lower in populations with high intake of foods of plant origin.” “Intakes of high fat and sodium, and low fiber and carbohydrates are linked with…asthma, while traditional and vegetarian diets are associated with lower rates…”
For example, if you look closer within India, in a study of more than 100,000 people, “[t]hose who consumed [meat, for example], daily or even occasionally, were more likely to report asthma than those who were strictly vegetarian,”—which meant also avoiding eggs. Eggs have been associated, along with soda, with an “increased risk of respiratory symptoms and asthma [in schoolchildren] whereas consumptions of soy [foods] and fruits [were] associated with reduced risk of respiratory symptoms.” In fact, removing eggs from the diet, along with dairy, may improve lung function in asthmatic children in as little as eight weeks. So maybe it’s a combination of eating less animal foods and more plants.
“[H]igh vegetable intake,” for example, has been found “protective” in children, cutting the odds of allergic asthma in half. And, “[f]ruit showed a consistent protective association…for current and severe wheeze and [runny nose] in…adolescent[s]” and for current and severe asthma, allergies, and eczema in children.
But, why? I’ve talked about the endocrine-disrupting industrial pollutants building up in the meat supply that may increase the risk of allergic diseases, but the increase in asthma may be a combination of both “a more toxic environment [and] a more susceptible population.”
“The dietary changes which have occurred over recent years may have led to a reduction in these natural antioxidant defences, resulting in a shift of the antioxidant status of the whole population and leading to increased susceptibility to oxidant attack and airway inflammation.”
In adults, for example, the risk of airway “hyper-reactivity [may increase] seven-fold among those with the lowest intake of vitamin C [from plant foods], while the lowest intake of saturated fats gave a 10-fold protection,” presumably because of saturated fats have a role in triggering inflammation.
The “protective effect of plant[-based] food may [also] be mediated through effects on intestinal microflora.” It turns out that “[d]ifferences in the indigenous intestinal flora might affect the development and priming of the immune system in early childhood.”
Kids with allergies, for example, tend to be less likely to harbor lactobacilli, the good bacteria that’s found in fermented foods, and, also, just naturally on fruits and vegetables. And lactobacillus probiotics may actually help with childhood asthma, which may help explain why children raised on largely organic vegetarian diets may have a lower prevalence of allergic reactions. Infants raised in this way tend to have more good lactobacilli in their guts, compared to controls, though they were also more likely to have been born naturally, breastfed longer, and not given as many antibiotics.
So, you can’t really tell whether it’s the diet, until you put it to the test—which we’ll explore next.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- K Saito, T Yokoyama, Y Miyake, S Sasaki, K Tanaka, Y Ohya, Y Hirota. Maternal meat and fat consumption during pregnancy and suspected atopic eczema in Japanese infants aged 3-4 months: The Osaka Maternal and Child Health Study. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2010 21(1 - Pt - 1):38 – 46.
- Y Miyake, K Tanaka, H Okubo, S Sasaki, M Arakawa. Dietary meat and fat intake and prevalence of rhinoconjunctivitis in pregnant Japanese women: Baseline data from the Kyushu Okinawa Maternal and Child Health Study. Nutr J. 2012 11:19.
- Y Kaneko, Y Motohashi, H Nakamura, T Endo, A Eboshida. Increasing prevalence of Japanese cedar pollinosis: A meta-regression analysis. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2005 136(4):365 – 371.
- H Adachi, Y Hirai, S Sasaki, M Enomoto, A Fukami, E Kumagai, E Esaki, T Imaizumi. Trends in Dietary Intakes and Serum Cholesterol Levels over 50 Years in Tanushimaru in Japanese Men. Food and Nutrition Sciences. 2011 2:476-481.
- J.L. Suen, C.H. Hung, H.S. Yu, S.K. Huang. Alkylphenols--potential modulators of the allergic response. Kaohsiung J Med Sci. 2012 28(7 -Suppl):S43 – 8.
- L J Guillette Jr, D B Pickford, D A Crain, A A Rooney, H F Percival. Reduction in penis size and plasma testosterone concentrations in juvenile alligators living in a contaminated environment. Gen Comp Endocrinol. 1996 101(1):32 -42.
- S De Coster, N van Larebeke. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals: Associated disorders and mechanisms of action. J Environ Public Health. 2012 2012:713696.
- L S Birnbaum. State of the science of endocrine disruptors. Environ Health Perspect. 2013 121(4):A107.
- A M Soto, H Justicia, J W Wray, C Sonnenschein. P-Nonyl-phenol: An estrogenic xenobiotic released from
- R Renner. European bans on surfactant trigger transatlantic debate. Environ Sci Technol. 1997 31(7):316A - 20A.
- R J B Peters, H Beeltje, R J van Delft. Xeno-estrogenic compounds in precipitation. J Environ Monit. 2008 10(6):760 – 769.
- B Shao, H Han, D Li, Y Ma, X Tu, Y Wu. Analysis of alkylphenol and bisphenol A in meat by accelerated solvent extraction and liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. Food Chemistry. 2007 105(3):1236–1241.
- F Ferrara, F Fabietti, M Delise, E Funari. Alkylphenols and alkylphenol ethoxylates contamination of crustaceans and fishes from the Adriatic Sea (Italy). Chemosphere. 2005 59(8):1145 – 1150.
- A Blom, E Ekman, A Johannisson, L Norrgren, M Pesonen. Effects of xenoestrogenic environmental pollutants on the proliferation of a human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 1998 34(3):306 – 310.
- I Mao, Y Lu, M Chen. A simplified method for simultaneous quantitation of alkylphenols andalkylphenol ethoxylates in meat and fish using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry. 2006 86(10):713--722.
- P Ellwood, M I Asher, L García-Marcos, H Williams, U Keil, C Robertson, G Nagel. Do fast foods cause asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema? Global findings from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) phase three. Thorax. 2013 68(4):351 – 360.
- E von Muthius. The burden of childhood asthma. Arch Dis Child. 2000 82(2):112--5.
- J Mallol, J Crane, E von Muthius, J Odhiamo, U Keil, A Stewart, ISAAC Phase Three Study Group. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase Three: A Global Synthesis. Allegrol Immunopathy (Madr.). 2013 41(2):73--85.
- JO Warner. Worldwide variations in the prevalence of atopic symptoms: what does it all mean? Thorax 1999 54(2):S46--51.
- Asher MI, Stewart AW, Mallol J, Montefort S, Lai CK, Aït-Khaled N, Odhiambo J; ISAAC Phase One Study Group. Which population level environmental factors are associated with asthma, rhinoconjunctivitis and eczema? Review of the ecological analyses of ISAAC Phase One. Respir Res. 2010(11):8.
- C Bime, CY Wei, J Holbrook, LJ Smith, RA Wise. Association of dietary soy genistein intake with lung function and asthma control: a post-hoc analysis of patients enrolled in a prospective multicentre clinical trial. Prim Care Respir J. 2012 21(4):398--404.
- JL Protudjer, GP Sevenhuysen, CD Ramsey, AL Kozyrskyj, AB Becker. Low vegetable intake is associated with allergic asthma and moderate-to-severe airway hyperresponsiveness. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2012 47(12):1159--69.
- Agrawal S, Pearce N, Ebrahim S. Prevalence and risk factors for self-reported asthma in an adult Indian population: a cross-sectional survey. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2013 17(2):275--82.
- HJ Tsai, AC Tsai. The association of diet with respiratory symptoms and asthma in schoolchildren in Taipei, Taiwan. J Asthma. 2007 44(8):599--603.
- NA Yusoff, SM Hampton, JW Dickerson, JB Morgan. The effects of exclusion of dietary egg and milk in the management of asthmatic children: a pilot study. J R Soc Promot Health. 2004 124(2):74--80.
- A Seaton, DJ Godden, K Brown. Increase in asthma: a more toxic environment or a more susceptible population? Thorax. 1994 49(2):171--4.
- A Seaton, G Devereux. Diet, infection and wheezy illness: lessons from adults. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2000 (11)13:37--40.
- B Björkstén.Effects of intestinal microflora and the environment on the development of asthma and allergy. Springer Semin Immunopathol. 2004 25(3-4):257--70.
- Björkstén B, Naaber P, Sepp E, Mikelsaar M. The intestinal microflora in allergic Estonian and Swedish 2-year-old children. Clin Exp Allergy. 1999 29(3):342-6.
- Vitali B, Minervini G, Rizzello CG, Spisni E, Maccaferri S, Brigidi P, Gobbetti M, Di Cagno R. Novel probiotic candidates for humans isolated from raw fruits and vegetables. Food Microbiol. 2012 31(1):116-25.
- Chen YS, Jan RL, Lin YL, Chen HH, Wang JY. Randomized placebo-controlled trial of lactobacillus on asthmatic children with allergic rhinitis. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2010 45(11):1111-20.
- Alm JS, Swartz J, Björkstén B, Engstrand L, Engström J, Kühn I, Lilja G, Möllby R, Norin E, Pershagen G, Reinders C, Wreiber K, Scheynius A. An anthroposophic lifestyle and intestinal microflora in infancy. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2002 13(6):402-11.
- Lindahl O, Lindwall L, Spångberg A, Stenram A, Ockerman PA. Vegan regimen with reduced medication in the treatment of bronchial asthma. J Asthma. 1985;22(1):45-55.
- air pollution
- allergies
- animal protein
- antibiotics
- antioxidants
- asthma
- breastfeeding
- calories
- children
- chronic diseases
- dairy
- eczema
- eggs
- elderly
- endocrine disruptors
- fermented foods
- fruit
- immune function
- India
- industrial pollutants
- inflammation
- lung health
- meat
- organic foods
- oxidative stress
- persistent organic pollutants
- plant protein
- Plant-Based Diets
- probiotics
- protein
- respiratory infections
- saturated fat
- smoking
- soda
- soy
- vegans
- vegetables
- vegetarians
- vitamin C
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Title
Preventing Asthma with Fruits and Vegetables
LicenseCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Content URLDoctor's Note
More on preventing allergic diseases can be found in Preventing Childhood Allergies and Preventing Allergies in Adulthood.
More on protecting lung function with fruits and vegetables can be found in Preventing COPD with Diet.
Surprised that probiotics can affect immune function? Check out Preventing the Common Cold with Probiotics? And, if you think that’s wild, wait until you see Gut Feelings: Probiotics & Mental Health.
What might be in plants that’s so beneficial? See Anti-inflammatory Antioxidants.
What might be in animal products that is harmful to lung function? Endocrine-disrupting industrial pollutants that build up in the food chain may be playing a role; see Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors & Allergies and Dietary Sources of Alkylphenol Endocrine Disruptors. Also, there’s an inflammatory omega-6 fatty acid, found predominantly in chicken and eggs, that may contribute to inflammation as well. See Inflammatory Remarks about Arachidonic Acid.
Choosing fragrance-free personal care products may also help reduce airway reactivity; see Throw Household Products off the Scent.
If fruit and vegetables are so powerful at preventing allergic diseases, what about treating allergies with plants? Coming right up! My next video is Treating Asthma with Fruits & Vegetables. Then, I compare the efficacy of plants to pills (see Treating Asthma with Plants vs. Supplements?), and I close out this video series by exploring the role an entire diet filled with plants might play in Treating Asthma & Eczema with Plant-Based Diets.
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