According to Dutch researchers, eating plenty of fish and whole grains could cut the risk of developing asthma by almost 50 percent.
Researchers assessed the diets of nearly 600 children, aged 8 and 13, for a variety of foods, including fish, fruit and vegetables, dairy and whole grains.
The findings showed whole grains and fish lowered the risk of asthma. Children with a low intake of both foods had a prevalence of wheezing of up to 20 percent. However, children who ate whole grains and fish were much less likely to experience wheezing; only 4.2 percent of kids who ate the most fish and whole grains had symptoms.
Overall, children with a high intake of whole grains and fish were 54 and 66 percent less likely to have asthma, respectively. The risk of having asthma with bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), an increased sensitivity to factors that cause narrowing of the airways, was reduced by 72 and 88 percent when children ate more whole grains and fish.
Further research is needed to determine the full relationship between whole grain and fish intake and asthma risk.
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