A new study indicates that people suffering from symptomatic asthma tend to consume less fruits and have decreased intake of vitamin C and manganese compared to their healthy counterparts. 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 regarding the rise in the incidence of asthma, which is becoming a major public health concern.
