Dietary components that help prevent allergy

Tuesday, 04 January 2011 09:46

Previous studies suggest that deficiencies of certain key nutrients and low fruit and vegetable intake may be associated with the development of asthma and allergic disorders. A systematic review of research conducted in this area to date, and meta analysis of 62 eligible reports revealed that serum vitamin A was lower in children with asthma compared with controls.

The analyses also indicated high maternal dietary vitamin D and E intakes during pregnancy had a protective effect against the development of allergic wheeze in off-spring, and adherence to a Mediterranean diet was also protective against the development of persistent wheeze. No other supportive results were found in relation to other allergic outcomes for these vitamins or nutrients, or for any outcomes in relation to vitamin C and selenium.

Of the 22 studies looking at the impact of fruit and vegetable intake on the development of asthma and allergies, seventeen reported beneficial associations.

None of the studies in this area were randomized controlled trials.

Reference: Ulugbek et al. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2010.11.001