Asthmatics breathe easy with more vitamin C

British researchers have found a link between the incidence of asthma and the consumption of fruit.

The more vitamin C and manganese in your diet, the less likely it is you will suffer from asthma, say researchers from Cambridge University.

Building on previous studies linking antioxidant intake, particularly vitamin C and E, to the incidence of asthma, this latest research found participants who upped vitamin C doses experienced a 12 percent drop in symptomatic asthma. Raising manganese doses produced a 15 percent reduction. 

Converting these results to food quantities, the researchers concluded that moderate consumption of citrus fruits (between 0.7 and 46.2 grams per day) decreases the risk of asthma by 12 percent, whereas high consumption (46.3 grams and up) lowers the risk by 41 percent.

“Our observations are consistent with previous reports of an inverse association between dietary fruit and dietary vitamin C and respiratory conditions,” say the researchers. 

The active mechanism in vitamin C and manganese is thought to be their antioxidant nature, particularly enzyme superoxide dismutase found in manganese, which the study believes may also help reduce the incidence of other lung conditions.

REFERENCES1. More fruit could mean less asthma in adults. Nutra Ingredients. http://www.nutraingredients.com/news/printNewsBis.asp?id=67753 (accessed 22 may 2006).