Women who eat apples and fish during pregnancy may reduce the risk of their children developing asthma or allergies, according to a new study. The study, conducted at the “University of Aberdeen”:http://www.abdn.ac.uk in England, found that the children of mothers who ate the most apples were less likely to ever have wheezed or have doctor-confirmed asthma at the age of 5 years, compared to children of mothers who had the lowest apple consumption. Children of mothers who ate fish once or more a week were less likely to have had eczema than children of mothers who never ate fish. The study did not find any protective effect against asthma or allergic diseases from many other foods, including vegetables, fruit juice, citrus or kiwi fruit, whole grain products, fat from dairy products or margarine or other low-fat spreads. The researchers studied 1212 children born to women who had filled out food questionnaires during their pregnancy. When the children were 5 years old, the mothers filled out a questionnaire about the children’s respiratory symptoms and allergies, as well as a questionnaire about their child’s food consumption. The children were also given lung function and allergy tests. The study was presented at the annual meeting of the “American Thoracic Society”:http://www.thoracic.org.