foodconsumer.org: Eating fruit, vegetables reduces risk of upper respiratory tract infection

Eating fruit, vegetables reduces risk of upper respiratory tract infection
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admin on 07/10/2009 22:16:00
 
By David Liu and edited by Sheilah Downey
Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine researchers (BUSM) found
that eating at least seven servings of fruit and vegetables daily moderately
reduced the risk of an upper respiratory tract infection or URTI.
The study of more than 1,000 pregnant women published in the journal Public
Health Nutrition showed that those who ate the most fruit and vegetables were 26
percent less likely to have URTI than those who ate the least amount.
But eating fruit or vegetables alone was not associated with reducing the
five-month risk of URTI. Women who were in the highest quartile of fruit and
vegetable intake were at reduced three-month risk than the five month risk of
URTI.
URTIs are the common cold and sinus infections that can lead to lower
respiratory conditions such as asthma or pneumonia.  The majority of affected
people recovered without medical intervention.
Eating fruits and vegetables are known to boost immunity, but it has not been
known that eating fruit and vegetables may reduce the risk of URTI in pregnant
women.
It's recommended that pregnant women should consume at least five servings of
fruit and vegetables each day. But the current study suggests that only as
higher levels of consumption of fruit and vegetables as 6.7 servings per day may
be reduce the risk of URTI moderately.