title: Children's lung function and antioxidant vitamin, fruit, juice, and vegetable intake.
abstract: The authors investigated the relation between children's pulmonary function and intake of fruits, vegetables, juices, and vitamins A, C, and E by examining cross-sectional data from 2,566 children in the Children's Health Study collected during 1997-1998. Low total vitamin C intake (< or =10th percentile) was associated with deficits in forced vital capacity for both boys and girls and with deficits in flows that were larger in girls (forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), -3.3%, 95% confidence interval (CI): -6.0, -0.5; forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of forced vital capacity (FEF(25-75)), -5.5%, 95% CI: -10.5, -0.3) compared with boys (FEV1, -2.3%, 95% CI: -4.8, 0.3; FEF(25-75), -2.4%, 95% CI: -7.4, 2.8). Low dietary vitamin E intake was associated with lower FEF(25-75) (boys: FEF(25-75), -8.9%, 95% CI: -14.2, -3.3; girls: FEF(25-75), -2.5%, 95% CI: -8.3, 3.7). Deficits in FEF(25-75) were associated with low dietary vitamin A intake in girls (FEF(25-75), -7.9%, 95% CI: -12.7, -2.8) and with low total vitamin A intake in boys with asthma (FEF(25-75), -15.6%, 95% CI: -27.6, -1.6). Low intakes of orange and other fruit juices, which were the largest source of vitamin C, were associated with deficits in forced vital capacity and FEV1 in boys. In summary, lung function levels were lower in children with inadequate dietary antioxidant vitamin intake.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA. gillian@usc.edu
authors.forename: Frank D
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Gilliland
authors.forename: Kiros T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Berhane
authors.forename: Yu-Fen
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: W James
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Gauderman
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: McConnell
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Peters
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001628:Beverages; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014675:Vegetables; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D014801:Vitamin A; D014810:Vitamin E; D001205:Ascorbic Acid