An Apple or Onion a Day Keeps the Doctor Away: Association of Dietary Quercetin with Less Acute Respiratory Illness and Chronic Cough (Road to Health Study)

Details

• Personal Author:
  Allegrante JP ; Hofferber B ; Jean-Louis G ; Nolan A ; Norweg A ; Oh C
• Description:
  RATIONALE: Quercetin, a flavonoid abundant in onions and apples, has synergistic antiviral and immunomodulatory activities. More specifically it inhibits secretion of histamine, pro-inflammatory interleukin-8, and tumor necrosis factor. The aim of this study was to examine the association of frequency of onion and apple consumption with the incidence of acute respiratory illness and chronic cough. METHODS: Cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2004 were retrospectively examined. Two items from a food frequency questionnaire measured the frequency of consumption of apples and onions in the previous 12 months. Multivariate adjusted logistic regressions were used to analyze the association of apple and onion diet frequency with reported incidence of acute respiratory illness and chronic cough. We estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Significance was set at p<0.05.RESULTS: Participants were children and adults (n= 8,476). 479 (7.9%) reported never eating apples, while 1,190 (20%) reported never eating onions. At least daily onion consumption resulted in 1.42 greater odds of not having a head or chest cold (95% CI:[1.03,1.95];p=0.03) compared with never eating onions. Mexican American and Other Hispanic participants had increased odds of reporting a head or chest cold;p=0.004. There was no association of eating apples with having a head or chest cold (p>0.07). Occasional apple consumption was associated with 1.6 greater odds of not having flu, pneumonia, or an ear infection (OR:1.60;95% CI:[1.01,2.54]; p=0.04) compared with never eating apples. Eating onions at any frequency reduced the odds of flu, pneumonia, or ear infection; p=0.007. Daily or more frequent consumption of onions was associated with 2.5 increased odds of not having the flu, pneumonia, or ear infections (OR:2.50;95% CI:[1.39,4.46]; p=0.002). In participants 12 years or older with a history of wheezing (n=865), occasional or more frequent apple consumption significantly reduced the odds of a chronic cough (p=0.04) compared to no consumption. At least daily apple consumption was associated with 5.3 greater odds of not reporting a chronic cough (OR:5.32;95% CI:[1.37,20.61];p=0.02) compared to non-apple eaters. In contrast, there was no association of onion consumption with reduced chronic cough (p>0.20). Stress (reduced mental health) was positively associated with, and slightly increased the odds, of flu, pneumonia, ear infections, and chronic cough, p=0.001, Table 1. CONCLUSION: Quercetin, a key component of the Mediterranean diet, may be a biologically plausible therapeutic to prevent/treat acute respiratory illness and chronic cough but translational research is needed to define the causal role of dietary quercetin. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Asthma Asthma, Occupational Diet Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety
• Keywords:
  Cross Sectional Studies Population Based Studies Respiratory Diseases
• ISSN:
  1073-449X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Abstract or Summary
• Place as Subject:
  Florida ; New York ; OSHA Region 2 ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  207
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070827
• Citation:
  Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2023 May; 207(Abstract Issue):A4875
• Email:
  amn2212@cumc.columbia.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  New York University School of Medicine
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20210701
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
• Supplement:
  Abstract Issue
• End Date:
  20260630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a13216ef9adf18029568acbaa6e3082ab3301210959f152e99ad63f1fd16303151cbb83be49b1fc567581ae6cc532fc05a1029095223b77beb5a535c0e24a96d
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208976/cdc_208976_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 371.59 KB ]