A new study conducted at New York indicates that people suffering from symptomatic asthma eat less fruit and have decreased intake of vitamin C and manganese than their counterparts without the problem.

An article written in the medical journal 'Thorax' by Dr N. J. Wareham et al of Medical Research Council in Cambridge, UK reveals that diet can be modified to reduce the onset of asthma.

This study revealed that the fruit consumption on an average was 132.1 gm per day by people suffering from asthma as compared to 149.1 gm per day by their healthy counterparts. The risk was lesser in people who consumed 46.3 g of citrus fruit per day than those with no citrus fruit intake.

However, the incidence of asthma was more in people who had lesser intake of Vitamin C and manganese. Also the plasma levels of Vitamin C were lower in people with asthma than their healthy counterparts.

The researchers attributed this low level of Vitamin C to the lesser consumption of the fruit, but there is no clarity on what dietary components lead to decreased manganese intake.

The inference drawn by the researchers from the study is to create a general awareness among the public/common man regarding the rise in the occurrence of asthma.

Asthma has shown an increase in the world and it leads to loss of many man hours. Research on preventive strategies is required to combat the disease effectively.