Fighting asthma with vegetables?

Dear Health-Savvy friend,

There are so many good reasons to listen to mom's advice... Specifically on eating your vegetables. Here's more proof that food can help heal...  
 
Fighting asthma with vegetables:

By now, most everyone knows that experts recommend eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day for optimal health. But scientists at the National Institute of Public Health in Cuernavaca, Mexico, asked an intriguing question: “Just which fruits and vegetables are more likely to prevent specific diseases?”
 
Specifically, they studied which foods had the ability to reduce the risk of developing adult asthma. By analysing the diets and other health
factors of nearly 69,000 French women, researchers found that the ones who ate plenty of tomatoes, carrots and leafy greens were less likely to have asthma. 

Among the women who were surveyed using a food frequency questionnaire, those who reported eating the most leafy greens — mainly spinach and lettuce — were 22% less likely to have asthma than women with the lowest intakes of such vegetables. Carrot eaters had a 20% lower risk of the disease, and tomato fans had an 18% lower risk. Overall, 3% of the women reported having asthma.
 
Even with other major factors such as weight, calorie intake, smoking and vitamin use taken into account, the women still had lower prevalence of the lung disease. Past studies have also linked antioxidants or other nutrients in plant foods with asthma prevention. Carrots, tomato juice and spinach contain nutrients called carotenoids,
some of which are converted into vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A helps regulate the immune system and maintains the lining of the respiratory tract.

Source: Health Bytes

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