Health Story

04 July 2009 09:28 BST

Med diets 'target childhood allergies'

Children eating a Mediterranean-style diet rich in fruit, vegetables and nuts could lower their risk of developing respiratory allergies and asthma, new research has shown.

Researchers studied the dietary habits, allergic reactions and respiratory symptoms of nearly 700 children aged between seven and 18 living in four rural areas on the Greek island of Crete.

In Crete skin allergies are relatively common but respiratory allergies, such as asthma and allergic rhinitis, are rare.

Parents of the children in the study completed detailed questionnaires about their children's diets. Whether they ate a 'Mediterranean diet' was measured against a group of 12 foodstuffs, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and olive oil.

They found that eight out of ten children ate fresh fruit and more than two-thirds ate fresh vegetables at least twice a day.

Writing in the journal Thorax, the researchers claim this diet helped protect children against asthma symptoms and skin allergy and had a strong effect against allergic rhinitis.

Children who ate nuts at least three times a week were less likely to wheeze, which, the study says, could be due to nuts containing vitamin E and high levels of magnesium.

A daily diet of tomatoes, oranges and apples also protected against wheezing and allergic rhinitis.

Red grapes were found to be particularly beneficial in protecting against these problems.

But consuming high levels of margarine doubled the chances of asthma and allergic rhinitis.

"The results of this study suggest a beneficial effect of commonly consumed fruits, vegetables and nuts, and of a high adherence to a traditional Mediterranean diet during childhood on symptoms of asthma and rhinitis," the researchers conclude.