When your mother bugged you to take your vitamins, she could have been protecting you from asthma, a serious and chronic breathing problem. New research now shows that if your diet is low in these two key nutrients, you could increase your chance of an asthma diagnosis. In fact, low levels of each of these antioxidant vitamins were linked individually with a greater chance of asthma as well as greater severity.
This study, recently published in the medical journal Thorax contradicts previous research which had shown no apparent link between antioxidants and asthma symptoms. Researchers for this current study argue that the study was better designed than previous research and provides better data.
Researchers still don’t know exactly how diet, vitamin intake and asthma may be related. However, they did find that men with asthma were lacking about 1/4 of the daily RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) for vitamin A, while women with the condition were lacking 30 per cent (or closer to 1/3) of the daily RDA.
Doctors are hesitant to recommend taking additional doses of vitamins or modification of the diet, in the absence of additional proof. Leanne Male of Asthma UK said, “Until further clinical trials have been carried out to establish the exact role of vitamins … we would advise that everybody eats a healthy balanced diet.”
Other experts agree that this one study does not provide convincing evidence.
However, if diets are lacking in vitamin A and C, some simple food choices can push intake into the range of the RDA. Good sources of naturally-occurring Vitamin A are found in dairy products, eggs and oily fish. Margarine is often vitamin A fortified.
When it comes to vitamin C, including more fruits and vegetables in your diet is key. Best choices include peppers, broccoli, brussels sprouts, oranges and kiwis. The RDA of vitamin C was recently revised upwards; nevertheless, a morning glass of orange juice can provide as much as 100 per cent of your daily requirement. To get the best dose of vitamin C, buy frozen concentrate. It can contain as much as 3x the vitamin C of the ready-to-drink version.
Source: Times Online, Wikipedia
