Milk teeth are the key to asthma

Scientists believe that the babies that do not take in enough iron and selenium while in their mother’s womb may have a higher risk of developing asthma.

If the child was deprived of these minerals, his/her milk teeth will show it. Milk teeth develop before birth, which is why dental enamel can provide information on the elements that the baby has been taking in. In the course of six years, the team managed to gather almost 12.000 milk teeth of the children included in the clinical study in Bristol. They intend to analyse the mineral composition of milk teeth of 250 children with asthma and 250 of them without asthma.

Earlier studies of the umbilical cord were indicative of possible connection between asthma and lack of iron and selenium before birth, but it was difficult to come up with precise results concerning exposure to these minerals in the womb. 

It is interesting that the percentage of asthmatics in Great Britain increased at the same time when the consumption of selenium dropped.

Until the studies are completed, the safest way is to eat healthy food; selenium can be found in fish, meat, cereals and dairy products, but most of all in the Brazil nut.