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A diet low in vitamins could increase the risk of developing asthma, research has shown.

Scientists reviewing 40 studies concluded that people with a low intake of vitamins A and C were more likely to suffer from the disease than those getting the recommended levels.

Low vitamin C levels were associated with a 12 per cent increased asthma risk, but the risk for vitamin A was less clear, according to the research published in the journal Thorax.

Vitamin C is found in a wide variety of fruits and vegetables and especially good sources include broccoli, oranges and brussel sprouts. The recommended daily intake for adults is 40 mg.

For vitamin A, the recommended daily amount is 0.7 mg a day and rich sources of vitamin A include cheese, eggs and oily fish.

Experts agree that more studies are needed and warn that other risk factors for the disease, such as smoking and activity levels, have not been taken into account.

There are currently 5.4 million people receiving treatment for asthma in the UK, with a sufferer of the disease present in one in five households.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with asthma.

Traffic pollution can increase a child’s risk of developing asthma, according to a new study.

Recent research into umbilical cord blood published in the PLoS ONE journal found an alteration in a gene which is associated with exposure to compounds in traffic fumes.

According to the team, it is the first time pollution has been shown to have such an affect on genes.

The researchers found a link between changes in the gene and high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons – which are commonly present in heavy-traffic areas - during pregnancy.

Vice-president of the British Lung Foundation Dr Keith Prowse, said: "We know that children living in polluted areas have a higher incidence of asthma but what we didn’t know was it was affecting a gene."

Dr Elaine Vickers, research relations manager at Asthma UK, said the findings were interesting but that more research is required.

A recent study in New Zealand suggested that children who are stressed are at a higher risk of developing asthma in later life.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with asthma

Parasitic worms, or helminths, could be used to treat the symptoms of asthma, according to a new study.

The effects are currently being analyzed by researchers in Nottingham who are infecting sufferers with hook worms.

Despite the fact that such parasites have been eliminated from humans due to hygiene improvements, experts believe they could be instrumental in regulating the immune system.

Professor of medical microbiology at University College London, Graham Rook, said: "Certain organisms that were there throughout our evolutionary history have developed a role in causing the immune system to develop and causing the policemen of the immune system to be operating at the right level."

Elsewhere, a recent US study published in the Clinical and Experimental Allergy journal indicated that eating fast food more than once or twice a week can significantly increase the risk of childhood asthma.

It found that excessive junk food can negate the positive benefits of breastfeeding which is known to lower the risk of the condition.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with asthma

Eating fast food more than once or twice a week can significantly increase the risk of childhood asthma, it has been claimed.

A recent US study published in the Clinical and Experimental Allergy journal indicated that junk food can negate the positive benefits of being breastfed.

Past studies have already linked breastfeeding to lowering the likelihood of developing asthma during childhood.

The study, which was conducted at the University of Alberta, noted over half of the children polled ate fast food more than twice a week.

Commenting on the findings, senior author of the report Dr Anita Kozyrskyj said: "Like other studies, we found that fast food consumption was associated with asthma."

According to Asthma UK, some 1,400 deaths were caused by the condition in England during 2006 - 40 per cent of which were people aged under 14.

Recent research in New Zealand suggested that children who are stressed are at a higher risk of developing asthma in later life.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with asthma

Children who are stressed are at a higher risk of developing asthma in later life, according to a new study.

Recent research in New Zealand looked at 18,000 young people to ascertain the results of stressful incidents.

It found that those who experienced an unhappy event during their early years - such as abuse, a death in the family or financial problems – had an increased chance of suffering from the condition in adulthood.

Lead researcher Dr Kate M Scott told Reuters: "It is also well understood that psychological influences like stress or anxiety can exacerbate asthma, but it is rather novel to find suggestive evidence that they may increase the risk of its initial development"

The team also found that childhood anxiety or depression also increased the risk of asthma in later life.

Elsewhere, recent research found that children whose mothers took acid-suppressant drugs during pregnancy are at an increased risk of developing asthma.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with asthma

An antifungal drug can be used to effectively treat some asthma sufferers, according to a new study.

The research carried out at four hospitals in the UK revealed that some 150,000 people suffering severe asthma could benefit from antifungal medication commonly available from chemists.

Asthmatic symptoms were found to be improved in patients who took pills used to treat everyday fungal infections.

Some 60 per cent of patients taking the oral antifungal drug itraconazole showed significant improvement in their symptoms, such as a runny nose, sneezing and hayfever-like complaints.

Commenting on the findings, Professor David Denning, based at the University Hospital of South Manchester, said: "Only patients with a positive skin or blood test for fungal allergy were included in the study.

"Severe asthma affects between five and 10 per cent of adult asthmatics and probably 25 per cent to 50 per cent of these patients showed allergy to one or more fungi."

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with asthma

Children whose mothers took acid-suppressant drugs during pregnancy are at an increased risk of developing asthma, according to new research.

A recent study conducted at Children’s Hospital Boston indicated that such a group was at a 1.5 times higher risk of developing the condition than those whose mothers had never taken the medication.

Lead researcher Elizabeth Hait and her team examined data from some 585,000 children born between 1995 and 2004, reports Bounty.

According to the findings, there was a 43 per cent greater likelihood that the 5,600 children who had been exposed to acid suppression medication would require treatment for allergic conditions in later life.

Patients who suffer from acid reflux or heartburn are often prescribed the suppressant medication.

Ms Hait noted: "Some pregnant women have such severe acid reflux that they can’t eat because they are in so much pain."

Meanwhile, a new vaccine which represses asthma symptoms by boosting the cells which control the body’s protective mechanisms has been developed.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with asthma

A new treatment that can prevent asthma-like symptoms has been developed.

The new vaccine – which has been funded by Asthma UK – aims to regulate overactive responses to harmless substances such as dust and pollen.

Dr Noble and his team at King’s College London have developed a treatment which represses such responses by boosting the cells which control the body’s protective mechanisms.

Past treatments have been ineffective because they have failed to activate enough cells to render the immune system powerful enough to fight the condition, reports Medical News Today.

Dr Alistair Noble says: "The vaccine/booster mix would aim to give long-term protection against allergic reactions and asthma symptoms, without reducing the immune system’s ability to defend the body against infections."

He added that it would function in a similar way to vaccinations for measles and TB, in that one injection would be enough to protect a person for several years.

Dr Elaine Vickers, Research Relations Manager at Asthma UK, said she was the new treatment could give asthma sufferers "long lasting protection" from the condition.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with asthma

Asthma suffers have been advised to make a careful choice when selecting their Christmas tree this year.

The National Asthma Council Australia has pointed out that both fake and real Christmas trees carry their own risk, reports Medical News Today.

Kristine Whorlow, the group’s chief executive officer, said many people are unaware that trees from the Cypress and Pine families carry high amounts of pollen and are often brought into the family home "for weeks on end".

However, fake trees can also bring their own complications, especially if they have been packed away for a lengthy period of time.

"Artificial trees can accumulate dust and even mould - another common asthma trigger - depending on how they have been stored, particularly over the damper winter months," she explained.

She advised sufferers to ensure they had the necessary medication over the festive period.

The group recommends unpacking artificial trees outside, as well as vacuuming as they are taken out of storage.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with asthma

Babies born in the autumn months could be at a greater risk of developing childhood asthma, according to new research.

A recent US study of more than 95,000 children indicated that infants born in the early months of autumn seemed particularly prone to respiratory viral infections.

Researcher Dr Tina Hartert, of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, said there may be "short and long-term benefits" to avoiding conceiving in December and January.

"All infants are exposed to this and it is potentially preventable," she said.

"Still, we must prove whether preventing these respiratory tract infections will prevent a lifetime chronic disease."

Previous research has suggested that children born in these months are at a greater risk of developing the condition.
However, this study - published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine - was the first to link the trend to heavy viral activity in the winter months.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with asthma