Asthma and diet in children – Links proven in new research

An asthmatic child benefits greatly from the removal of fast food in the diet. A ten year international study (ISAAC 2010) that tracked 50,000 children (aged 8-12 years) across 20 countries has shown fast food burgers increase the risk of childhood asthma and allergy.

The study also showed that frequent consumption of fruit, vegetables and fish (i.e. a Mediterraneanstyle diet) was associated with a lower lifetime prevalence of asthma, whereas high burger consumption (3 plus times a week) was associated with higher lifetime asthma prevalence.

Artificial colours, sulphurs and other additives are known to create inflammation in the airways. A fast food burger was seen to increase this inflammation even in non-asthma children, causing wheeze and allergies.

Read More about asthma and diet research

REF: Nagel G, Weinmayr G, Kleiner A, Garcia-Marcos L & Strachan DP 2010, ‘Effect of diet on asthma and allergic sensitisation in the International Study on Allergies and Asthma in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase Two’, Thorax, vol. 65, no. 6, pp. 516-522.

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Lindy Schneider is a writer and researcher with a keen interest in health, wellbeing and natural childcare. She is an advocator of a chemical-free lifestyle in the best interests of her family, the community and a sustainable world. She lives in the Yarra Valley with her partner and two young children.