Health Update: Diet for asthma

IT HAS been known for some time that a diet rich in fruit, vegetables and whole grain may protect against digestive problems and heart disease, but new evidence suggests that it may also be helpful in preventing asthma, which affects more than 3 million people in Britain. Such foods contain high levels of magnesium, and as the magnesium levels in the blood rise, so the allergenic response of the lungs falls, according to Dr John Britton, senior lecturer in respiratory medicine at Nottingham City Hospital, who recently revealed his findings to a meeting of the American Thoracic Society.