Vegetables Reduce Asthma Risks

Filed in archive Allergy: Research and Development , Living with Allergies on April 26, 2006

Here's another reason to eat your vegetables: Recent study shows that women who eat lots of tomatoes, carrots and leafy greens are less likely to develop asthma.

According to the survey made among French women, those who had diets rich in lettuce and spinach had up to 22 percent less likelihood to suffer from asthma. Carrots and tomato lessened the asthma risks by 20 and 18%, respectively.

What makes these veggies extra special? They contain a lot of the pigment compound called carotenoids, which is converted by the body to vitamin A. This vitamin, in turn, helps regulate the immune system and maintain the lining of the respiratory tract.

On the other hand, like the researchers say, this could also just mean that those people who ate lots of veggies had a generally healthier diet, and therefore the effect cannot be pinpointed on these veggies alone.

[Source: Reuters: Tomatoes, carrots, greens may lower asthma risk]