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Published online before print February 14, 2007
Eur Respir J 2007, doi:10.1183/09031936.00097806
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Childhood asthma and fruit consumption in South London

B.J. Okoko 1, P.G. Burney 1*, R. Newson 1, J. Potts 1, S.O. Shaheen 1

1 Respiratory Epidemiology and Public Health, National Heart Group & Lung Institute Imperial College, University of London

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: p.burney{at}imperial.ac.uk.


  Abstract

We investigated whether wheezing is less common in children who consume more apples and other fruits.

We carried out a population based survey of 2640 primary school children aged 5-10 years in Greenwich, south London. Information about asthma symptoms and fruit consumption was obtained by questionnaire.

After controlling for potential confounders, eating bananas one or more times daily (compared to eating less than once a month) was negatively associated with current wheeze (odds ratio 0.66 (95% CI: 0.44, 1.00); p=0.05), and with ever wheeze (OR 0.69 (0.50, 0.95); p=0.02), but not with ever asthma (OR 0.80 (0.56,1.14); p=0.22). Drinking apple juice from concentrate one or more times a day (compared to drinking less than once a month) was also negatively associated with current wheeze (OR 0.53 (34, 0.83); p=0.006), weakly associated with ever wheeze (OR 0.74 (-0.54, 1.02); p=0.07), but not associated with ever asthma. Consumption of apples, other fruits and orange juice was not significantly associated with asthma symptoms.

We found no association between eating fresh apples and asthma symptoms in this population, but found some evidence to suggest that a higher consumption of apple juice from concentrate, and bananas, may protect against wheezing in children.

Keywords:  Apples, childhood asthma, fruit, wheeze, South London




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