An apple a day can keep pneumonia away: Study.

ISLAMABAD -- The Vitamin C boost found in fruits such as apples can boost anti-bacterial immunity and help protect people from pneumonia, suggests new research.

The researchers found that to weaken the immune system and cause pneumonia, bacteria use hydrogen peroxide, also known as a bleaching agent that is used to whiten teeth or hair, as a stain remover, as well as for cleaning surfaces and disinfecting wounds.

'By using hydrogen peroxide to defeat the immune system, you could say that the bacteria are fighting fire with fire. The body itself also produces hydrogen peroxide as a defence against the bacteria,' said research leader Nelson Gekara from Umea University in Sweden.

The researchers mainly focused their studies on Streptococcus pneumoniae. This bacterium, often called pneumococcus, is the most common bacterium causing pneumonia, but can also cause, among other illnesses, meningitis or severe sepsis, said the study published in the journal Nature Communications.

The researchers have found that pneumococcus and other bacteria accomplish this...