Bytheway ...nothing is better thans prats!

WHEN I was a child, hardly anyone I knew had asthma — I can count on one hand those who did.

The one I remember best would collapse into a major bout of breathlessness as soon as anything emotional occurred, triggering panic all round.

But the number of those affected from early childhood has risen, doubling in the 30 years since I started practising.

An estimated 1.1 million children in the UK have the condition.

But what’s behind this rise? A remarkable new trial points the finger at our changing diet.

Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the research follows previous studies that showed an association between mothers-to-be who had a diet low in omega 3s and asthma in their children.

The latest study involved 700 pregnant women in their third trimester and compared fish oil with olive oil supplements.

It was a double blind trial, which means neither the women nor the researchers knew who was taking which type of capsule. Their children were then followed for five years after birth.

The rate of asthma in the children whose mothers took the fish oil was a third lower than in the olive oil group. They were less likely to develop lower respiratory tract infections, too.

These results have major implications. We have long been told omega 3 acids are good for us, but this research suggests the benefits may begin before we are even born. It only reinforces the need to teach young people the value of a diet rich in omega 3.

The key message is that we should eat more oily fish. This can include smoked salmon.

It need not be expensive: for example, I buy fresh sprats from my supermarket — for just 80p, you have enough to feed three or four people. Toss them in flour and fry for a couple of minutes.

So easy and delicious!