Increased consumption of apple juice or bananas may prevent childhood asthma, new research suggests.

Researchers, led by Dr Peter Burnley from the National Heart Group & Lung Institute at Imperial College, performed a population-based survey of 2,640 children aged between five and 10 and found that regular consumption of apple juice was associated with a 47 per cent reduction in wheezing.

"We found no association between eating fresh apples and asthma symptoms in this population, but found some evidence to suggest that a higher consumption of apple juice from concentrate, and bananas, may protect against wheezing in children," wrote the authors in the European Respiratory Journal.

Burney and co-workers used questionnaires to calculate the potential benefits of fruit consumption against wheezing and asthma in the children. At least one banana every day was associated with a 34 per cent reduction in current wheezing, compared to eating bananas less than once a month.

Consumption of apples, other fruits and orange juice however was not linked with asthma symptoms, they added.

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