Drinking apple juice prepared from concentrated juice helps reduce asthma symptoms in children. Earlier research has shown that eating apples seemed to protect adults from developing asthma symptoms. A number of other studies have linked higher fruit consumption to better lung function, Health news reported.
It's possible that the high antioxidant contents of apples, counteracts harmful oxidative stress due to pollution and eases inflammation, thus reducing asthma symptoms.
The researchers from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London analysed fruit intake and asthma symptoms in 2,640 children aged 5 to 10 years. While there was no association between asthma symptoms and eating of apples, children who drank apple juice from concentrate at least once a day were at 47 percent lower risk of wheezing than children having it less than once a month. It is possible that juice might have a higher antioxidant concentration than fruit.
The study also found that children who ate bananas at least once daily were also at significantly lower risk of wheezing as compared to those who ate them less than once a month.
The link between drinking apple juice from concentrate or eating bananas and reduced symptoms of asthma in children needs to be confirmed in further studies.