Pregnant women who eat a Mediterranean diet could help ward off asthma and allergies in their offspring, the Yorkshire Post reported today.
The research is yet more proof that eating a diet rich in olive oil, fruit, vegetables and fish helps keep people healthy.
It followed 468 mothers and their children throughout pregnancy up until the youngsters were aged six-and-a-half.
The women were recruited from general practices in the Spanish
Questionnaires were used to assess the mother’s food intake in pregnancy alongside the child’s diet by the age of six.
Parents also filled in questionnaires on their child’s respiratory and allergic symptoms and the youngsters underwent skin prick tests for six common allergens.
Researchers found that those women who had a high Mediterranean diet score offered the most benefit to their children.
Eating vegetables more than eight times a week, fish more than three times a week, and legumes more than once a week, seemed to be particularly protective. However, eating red meat more than three or four times a week increased the risks.
The study, published online in the journal Thorax, was carried out by researchers from
It is believed the diet could help unborn babies by exposing them to a high level of antioxidants that prevent damage to developing tissues.
