The findings prompt the authors to suggest that a fast food diet may be contributing to the rise in these conditions, and if proved causal, could have huge implications for public health, given the popularity of these foodstuffs.
The authors base their findings on data from more than 319,000 teens (13-14 year olds) from 107 centres in 51 countries, and more than181,000 children (6-7 year olds) from 64 centres in 31 countries.
All the participants were involved in the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC), which is a collaborative research project involving more than 100 countries and nearly two million children, making it the largest study of its kind.
Three or more weekly servings were linked to a 39% increased risk of severe asthma among teens and a 27% increased risk among children, as well as to the severity of rhinitis and eczema, overall.
On the other hand, fruit seemed to be protective in both age groups across all centres for all three conditions among children and for current and severe wheeze and rhinitis among the teens.
Eating three or more weekly portions was linked to a reduction in symptom severity of between 11% and 14% among teens and children, respectively.
The authors suggest that there are plausible explanations for the findings: fast food contains high levels of saturated and trans fatty acids, which are known to affect immunity, while fruit is rich in antioxidants and other beneficial compounds.
Source: ISAAC
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