Antioxidants Linked to Lower Asthma Risk

A large study of survey data on youths under 17 has shown that increases in intakes of antioxidants serum beta-carotene, vitamin C, and the trace mineral selenium were associated with a lower risk of asthma prevalence. The results were reported in the February 1, 2004, issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Even stronger asthma associations for these antioxidants were found in subgroups of young people exposed to passive smoke. Researchers studied U.S. national survey data on 6,153 young people four to 16 years old. They found that serum vitamin E had little or no association with asthma, but an increase in beta-carotene was associated with a 10% reduction in asthma prevalence in those not exposed to smoke and a 40% reduction in those who were exposed to passive smoke. The pattern for vitamin C was similar. An increase in selenium was associated with a 10-20% decrease in asthma prevalence. In youths with passive smoke exposure, investigators found a 50% reduction in asthma associated with selenium.

The study was conducted by Dr. Rachel N. Rubin and colleagues at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY, USA).