deficient in this nutrient.

You can get your Daily Value of zinc (15 milligrams) by filling your plate with shellfish and other seafood as well as with whole grains and lean meats. In fact, just one steamed oyster contains a whopping 12.7 milligrams of zinc.

Zinc Food Source

Note: Frequent inexplicable bruising, although rare, may be a sign of a clotting disorder or an immune problem, or a side effect of some medication. If you find yourself bruising easily and frequently, see your doctor.

Vitamin C Food Source

connective tissues that give shape and elasticity to skin and blood vessels. As the body ages and those connective tissues lose strength, skin becomes thinner and blood ves­sels are more fragile. Sun exposure accelerates the breakdown of connective tissues, making older people who’ve spent years in the sun more susceptible to bleeding and bruising. The sun’s rays also deplete stores of vitamin C, the very vitamin that the body needs to protect cells and tissue from free radical damage.

Eating lots of fruits and veggies high in vitamin C, like citrus fruits, tomatoes, and broccoli, will provide a sufficient amount of vitamin C, but everyone (and their skin) will benefit by taking 60 milligrams of vitamin C every day.

Research has shown that topical products with vitamin C can prevent the damage caused by years of sun exposure and heal bruising in older skin. And when vitamin C is combined with vitamin E, the effects are even more powerful. Vitamin E and vitamin C work synergistically to repair tissues, so that same vitamin cocktail should help prevent bruising.

In a Duke University Medical Center study, two different formulas were applied to the back skin of nine volunteers who were then exposed to simulated sunlight. Those who received an antioxidant serum containing vitamins C and E had a 96 percent reduc­tion of sunburn cells and up to eight times the antioxidant protection of those who received the control formula.

One such formula, C E Ferulic, helps boost the antioxidant reservoirs the body dips into to help heal itself from bruises. However, since sunscreens and antioxidant formulas work in different parts of the skin and through different mechanisms, the formula must be applied to the skin first to neutralize oxida­tive stress. Once it’s absorbed, then the sunscreen can be applied.

“So far, however, all we have are primarily case-control studies,” said doctor. Those studies that looked at actual supplementation with micronu­trients or vitamins did not show significant improvement of lung function, with the exception of one study, according to professional nutritionist. In that study, people with asthma who took 100 micrograms of sele­nium daily for 14 weeks had improved lung function and were less sensitive to airway-constricting inhalants than when they were taking placebos (inac­tive pills).

Lung Infection

Selenium is needed in the body to produce glutathione peroxidase, an enzyme that helps protect cells by breaking down biochemicals associated with inflammation.

It’s too soon to say for sure whether supplementing a regular diet with selenium will help people with asthma. People who want to try it can safely take 100 micrograms, the amount found beneficial in the Swedish study. (The Daily Value is 70 micrograms.)

Studies have shown that people generally get about 100 micrograms of selenium a day from the average healthy diet. Don’t overdo it with selenium, say nutrition experts. A daily intake of 400 micrograms from foods and sup­plements is considered the upper limit of the safe range.

Antioxidant Compounds

People who want to take other antioxidant nutrients can safely supple­ment with up to 400 IU of vitamin E and 6 milligrams of beta-carotene a day. It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor before taking more than 400 IU of vitamin E daily. However, a diet of fish, whole grains, fruits, and fresh vegetables may be the best approach to prevention of asthma.

Some studies suggest that in addition to the nutrients mentioned above, calcium, zinc, copper, and vitamin D may all play supporting roles in easing the symptoms of asthma.