Breathe easy with apples and tomatoes

Apples and tomatoes may help prevent respiratory disease, according to a presentation at the 97th annual meeting of the American Thoracic Society this week in San Francisco, Reuters reports. Dr. Emma Broadfield from the University of Nottingham, UK, and her colleagues used a test called forced expiratory volume 1 (FEV-1), which measures the amount of air a person can expel from his or her lungs in one second. They studied 2,633 adults in 1991 and again in 2000. The investigators found an association between the intake of apples and tomatoes andincreased FEV-1. When the researchers "looked at that relationship of dietary intake of these foods across time, we saw a beneficial effect on lung function from apples and tomatoes,"​ Broadfield said. Eating more than five apples each week was strongly associated with increased FEV-1, as was having tomatoes more than three times a week. Wheezing was also less common among people who consumed apples, tomatoes and bananas, the findings indicate. "Apples and tomatoes have high levels of antioxidants, and we suspect that what we are seeing is an antioxidant effect,"​ Broadfield told Reuters Health. "I think it all comesdown to healthy eating is good for you,"​ she added. Source: Reut