New Study Shows Too Many Burgers for Children Increases Risk of Asthma

Well if everything else that has been given to us as a warning about eating too much fast food isn't enough, then the latest research should give you reason to pause. The latest research shows that if children eat hamburgers three or more times in a week they are more likely to develop asthma and wheezing that other kids that eat have less fast food hamburgers.

Mediterranean style diet positive effects for children and lower risk of developing asthma

And of course you know the opposite is therefore true, that kids that eat mainly in the Mediterranean style, meaning plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables and fish would be at a lower risk factor for developing asthma.

This particular research was based on 50,000 children living in middle class income in low income countries. It may be that the fact of eating fast food does contribute to obesity and thus people are more prone to asthma is part of the outcome. What this means is more study will be necessary to decide if the role between diet and asthma is direct or indirect. But it seems that having asthma or a fat kid are both undesirable outcomes.

There was not a correlation in poorer countries, where it would be the higher economic families that would be eating more burgers and not so much linked with obesity. And apparently meat consumption in general did not appear to influence asthma risk increase.

Too many burgers each week cause 40% increase in chance of developing asthma

But the facts are that children that ate three or more burgers a week actually had a 40% increase in chance to develop asthma than kids that either never or only occasionally ate burgers.

And conversely, eating fruits and vegetables and fish showed less of a chance for developing wheezing and asthma.

There are many benefits to eating a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables and plenty of fish. Fish is an excellent source of omega 3 fatty acids. Fruits and vegetables are rich with antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. And of course antioxidants and Omega-3 both have anti-inflammatory abilities, which is very helpful with treating but also with preventing acute asthma attacks and wheezing and coughing.

The thought is that the more natural occurring fats such as omega-3 will actually protect against asthma, while the saturated fats in burgers will promote inflammation thus causing asthma, wheezing and coughing.

High-Fat vs. Low-Fat Meals

To further back up these findings, further recent studies show that patients that have asthma and eat high fat, high caloric meals consisting of foods such as hamburgers and hash browns had much more inflammation in their airways than patients on the low fat, low calorie meals, such as yogurts.

Also the asthma patients that were eating the high fat, high calorie meals were showing less improvement in lung function and capacity when treated with the common respiratory drug albuterol.

Whether three or more fast food hamburgers actually cause asthma and wheezing may be unknown for a certainty at this time but for sure obesity increases asthma risk and excess of hamburgers does increase obesity in children or adults.

Source:

WebMD.com

Mediterranean Diet Plan

Reuters.com