Bad news for junk food lovers: high consumption of burgers could boost children’s asthma risk, according to a latest study. The study further revealed that the risks could be cut down by including fruits, vegetables and fish in their diet.
"Our results support previous reports that the adherence to a Mediterranean diet, which is characterized by a high intake of fruit, vegetables and fish and a low intake of meat, burger and fizzy drinks, may provide partial protection against asthma in childhood," said lead researcher Dr. Gabriele Nagel, from the Institute of Epidemiology at Ulm University in Germany.
The researchers collected data from over 50,000 children from 20 rich and poor countries. In the survey, parents were asked about their children's daily diet. Almost 30,000 kids were tested positive for allergies. A per survey, including fish in the diet was best way to protect children in rich nations, while including green vegetables was best for underdeveloped nations. "Overall, a Mediterranean diet was associated with a lower lifetime prevalence of asthma and wheeze," Nagel said.
Pulmonologist Dr. Michael Light, a professor of medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, approved the survey saying, eating lot of burgers could cause asthma. "The data is fairly consistent that antioxidants and unsaturated fatty acids play a role in the big picture," Light said. "This doesn't mean if you change your diet today you are going to cure your asthma. All the study is saying is that one of the explanations for asthma is probably related to diet," he said
