In last week's teleconference, I asked allergy expert Dr. Clifford Bassett how a mother's diet during pregnancy affects the likelihood that a child will develop food allergies. Here comes another report suggesting that eating apples and fish during pregnancy reduces her child's chances of developing asthma later on.

According to the research, "The present study suggests beneficial associations between maternal apple intake during pregnancy and wheeze and asthma at age five years." They add that their findings "suggest an apple specific effect, possibly because of its phytochemical content, such as flavonoids." The research paper cites other related studies on apples, including those which found that "intake of apples as a significant source of flavonoids and other polyphenols has been beneficially associated with asthma, bronchial hypersensitivity, and lung function in adults."

I find this quite interesting especially considering how some people with respiratory allergies also show cross-reaction or oral allergy symptoms to food such as apples.

via Eating Fabulous