Fast food link to asthma, eczema severity

Fast food is not just bad for our waistlines, it could also be contributing to the severity of asthma and eczema.

An international study involving half a million children and adolescents found three or more servings of fast food a week was linked to an increased risk of severe asthma, eczema and rhinitis, a condition characterised by a runny nose and watery eyes.

The study, led by Auckland University's paediatrics department and published this week in the respiratory journal Thorax, found a 39 per cent and 27 per cent increased risk of asthma severity in teenagers and children respectively, who consume three or more servings of fast food a week.

Butter, margarine and pasta were also linked with severe asthma in adolescents.

But on the upside, fruit appeared to have a protective effect against the allergic conditions.

Eating three or more portions was linked to a reduction in symptom severity of between 11 per cent and 14 per cent among teenagers and children respectively.

The study was part of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood, a large research project encompassing more than 100 countries and nearly two million children worldwide.

The report's authors said there were plausible reasons for fast food increasing the severity of the conditions.

Fast foods often contain high levels of saturated and fatty acids which are known to affect immunity.

Fruit, meanwhile, is rich in antioxidants and other beneficial compounds.

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Fast food link to asthma, eczema severity