Research On Apple Consumption During Pregnancy

KYW Medical Report Sponsored By Independence Blue Cross

By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- You've heard the phrase, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away."  Perhaps an apple a day keeps the asthma away might be added to that well known saying.

While there is no doubt that eating apples and other fruits is good for your health, researchers find that eating an apple when pregnant could have an extra special effect.  According to studies, when moms-to-be ate apples during pregnancy, their children had lower rates of asthma.

This is important because more than 20 million Americans have asthma, including 6.2 million children.  Dutch researchers followed over 1,200 children from before birth to age five.  Their mothers completed food questionnaires during their pregnancies.  Later, their children's health was surveyed as well.  Women who consumed the most apples during pregnancy, more than four a week, had children who were 37 percent less likely to have ever wheezed than children of mothers who had eaten the lowest number of apples during pregnancy.  It is hard to make a direct association but the truth is that eating healthy fruits like apples can make a huge difference.