ResearchReviewDiet and Asthma: Nutrition Implications from Prevention to Treatment
Section snippets
Increasing Prevalence of Asthma
The prevalence of asthma has been rapidly increasing within Westernized countries, with increases of between 25% and 75% per decade being observed since 1960 (4). A recent survey by Moorman and colleagues (5) reported that the prevalence of self-reported asthma in the United States increased from 3.1% in 1980 to 5.6% in 1995, being more marked in children (an increase from 3.5% to 7.5%) than adults (an increase from 2.9% to 5.0%). The increase in asthma has probably been greater in the United
Early Life Influences in the Etiology of Asthma
Although antioxidant and/or n-3 PUFA supplementation currently appear to have minimal, if any, clinical benefit in established asthma, there is increasing interest in the potential of dietary modification (particularly during pregnancy) in the primary prevention of childhood asthma. Early life factors play a critical role in the development of asthma (71): measurements of length, head circumference, and lung function at birth are associated with the subsequent development of childhood asthma (72
Conclusions
The generally weak observational and very limited intervention data suggest that while there are associations between diet and asthma, the nature of the associations (with PUFA, antioxidants, nutrients, and food), the timing (antenatal, infancy, childhood, and adulthood) and the therapeutic potential of the associations are far from clear; indeed, it remains a distinct possibility that the observed associations are a consequence of confounding by complex social and behavioral factors. From the
K. Allan is a doctoral degree student, Institute of Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland
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K. Allan is a doctoral degree student, Institute of Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland
G. Devereux is a professor of respiratory medicine and honorary consultant physician, Royal Aberdeen Children's Hospital Department of Child Health, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland
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