John Myers
Children who enjoy eating burgers may be particularly at risk for asthma, as opposed to children who do not eat burgers. According to a study published in the journal Thorax, children who eat three or more burgers a week are at a higher risk of developing asthma than children who eat fewer or no burgers at all. Asthma is particularly rare in children whose diet is based on fruit, vegetables, and fish.
From three burgers a week, the risk of asthma increases
In the said study, between 1995 and 2005, researchers interviewed more than 50,000 children (or their parents) from 20 different countries about their eating habits and their medical history.
It was interesting that the respective diet seemed to have a different effect in rich countries than in poorer countries. In rich industrialized nations, eating three or more burgers per week and a child correlates significantly with a higher risk of asthma.
In poorer countries, however, burgers didn’t have such a negative impact on children—at least in this study. There, in turn, it was shown that fruits and vegetables could protect children from asthma, while in affluent countries increased consumption of fish had this protective effect. dr Gabriele Nagel, one of the authors of the study, explains this by saying that asthma does not have just one single cause, e.g. B. the diet, but can have many different triggers.
Obesity promotes asthma
However, the study only examined correlations and did not look for the reasons why burgers could trigger asthma under certain circumstances. The scientists only presented the statistical connection between the disease and the preference for burgers.
The real reason for asthma can therefore also lie in a certain genetic predisposition in connection with a particularly asthma-promoting lifestyle (which includes fast food and thus burgers). It should also be borne in mind that children in developing countries spend a lot of time outdoors and therefore – apart from the additional exercise – come into less contact with household chemicals (cleaning agents and disinfectants) that cause asthma than children in industrialized nations.
Some might complain that the researchers neglected to include obesity in their study since obesity is known to induce asthma symptoms. However, obesity is almost only possible with an unsuitable diet and tends to occur in children who prefer fast food and thus burgers.
Mediterranean diet protects children from asthma
However, it is no wonder that children who enjoy eating fruit and vegetables were less likely to suffer from asthma since vitamin C and other antioxidants as well as the magnesium present in fruits and vegetables can reduce the risk of asthma. The study thus confirmed results from previous studies that had shown that the risk of developing asthma decreased with the help of a so-called Mediterranean diet with lots of fruit and vegetables, olive oil, nuts, some fish and poultry, and little or no milk – and meat products and no processed foods noticeably curb.
Elaine Vickers from the British organization Asthma UK, therefore, advises all parents:
“Make sure your children eat a healthy, balanced diet and that your offspring does enough sport.”
