The Effects of Increasing Fruit and Vegetable Intake in Children with Asthma on the Modulation of Innate Immune Responses

Children with asthma are at risk of acute exacerbations triggered mainly by viral infections. A diet high in fruit and vegetables (F&V), a rich source of carotenoids, may improve innate immune responses in children with asthma. Children with asthma (3–11 years) with a history of exacerbations and low F&V intake (≤3 serves/d) were randomly assigned to a high F&V diet or control (usual diet) for 6 months. Outcomes included respiratory-related adverse events and in-vitro cytokine production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), treated with rhinovirus-1B (RV1B), house dust mite (HDM) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). During the trial, there were fewer subjects with ≥2 asthma exacerbations in the high F&V diet group (n = 22) compared to the control group (n = 25) (63.6% vs. 88.0%, p = 0.049). Duration and severity of exacerbations were similar between groups. LPS-induced interferon (IFN)-γ and IFN-λ production showed a small but significant increase in the high F&V group after 3 months compared to baseline (p < 0.05). Additionally, RV1B-induced IFN-λ production in PBMCs was positively associated with the change in plasma lycopene at 6 months (r(s) = 0.35, p = 0.015). A high F&V diet reduced asthma-related illness and modulated in vitro PBMC cytokine production in young children with asthma. Improving diet quality by increasing F&V intake could be an effective non-pharmacological strategy for preventing asthma-related illness by enhancing children’s innate immune responses.