Associations for food and carbohydrate intake with asthma in young Chinese adults from Singapore and Malaysia

Abstract

Asthma is an inflammatory airway disorder, manifesting as recurrent episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. While treatment exists for asthma (e.g., bronchodilators, steroids), recent findings have uncovered an influence of diet on asthma.

Presently, we evaluate the association between different food intakes and asthma outcomes. From a population of young Chinese adults recruited in the Singapore/Malaysia Cross-sectional Genetics Epidemiology Study, data on demographics, asthma presentation, and food intake were obtained. We also assessed carbohydrate intake using a Quality of Diet based on Glycemic Index Score (QDGIS). Participants were classified by asthma cases vs controls (1301 vs 2405), current symptoms vs past (570 vs 731), early-onset vs late-onset (652 vs 288), persistency vs intermittent (544 vs 266), and severity (341 moderate-severe vs 227 mild).

Notably, results indicated that seafood consumption was frequently associated with asthma (cases vs controls: OR = 2.168, 95% CI: 1.664-2.844; early-onset vs late-onset asthma: OR = 1.833, 95% CI: 1.079-3.087). Consumption of pulses was also protective against asthma (cases vs controls: OR = 0.741, 95% CI: 0.597, 0.918; current symptoms vs past: OR = 0.684, 95% CI: 0.488, 0.956). Other foods associated with asthma include meat, fruits, vegetables, cereals, pasta, butter, margarine, burgers or fast food, and probiotic drinks. In combination, however, lower GI score of overall diet as illustrated by the QDGIS was associated with lower asthma risk (OR = 0.801, 95% CI: 0.655, 0.979). Overall, analysing foods individually may provide a partial picture, and combinations of foods should be explored.