A study to be presented on Sunday at the American Thoracic Society's International Conference in San Francisco suggests that eating apples and fish during pregnancy may reduce the risk of both asthma and fish in five-year old children.

According to an article published on ChinaDaily.com, researchers from the Netherlands and Scotland surveyed more than 1,200 children. Women who ate more than four apples a week during pregnancy were 46% less likely to have children who suffered from asthma symptoms and 53% less likely to have doctor-confirmed asthma. Women who ate fish once or more per week were 43% less likely to have children who had eczema at age five.

NetSweat.com Comments: Researchers acknowledge the need for more studies, especially since a similar correlation was not found with the consumption of other foods.

The most prudent approach would be for pregnant women to discuss this study with their doctors before making any dietary changes. There is a risk of mercury in fish and pregnant women need to seriously consider this risk before increasing the consumption of seafood.