A study published in Thorax, an international journal of respiratory medicine, has found a correlation between junk food or fast food consumption and an increase in asthma, eczema, and rhinoconjuntivitis in children. The study is part of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood. The research was conducted at the University of Auckland in New Zealand.
Researchers sent questionnaires on the prevalence of the diseases and food intake over the past 12 months to 13 and 14 year old adolescents and the parents of 6 and 7 year old children. The study involved more than 50 countries and almost 500,000 children. It is the largest study to date on allergies among children and adolescents.
They found there was a 39% increased risk of severe asthma in adolescents and a 27% increased risk in children associated with the consumption of fast food three or more times per week. There was also an increased risk of severe rhinoconjunctivitis and severe eczema. The patterns were consistent with gender and affluence categories. This study does not prove causation, but may add evidence to the theory that junk food and fast food inhibits children’s immune systems.
The study also showed that there was a protective effect against severe asthma among children who ate fruit more than three times per week. Fruit reduced the symptom severity 11% among adolescents and 14% among children.
The study’s authors said that “if the association between fast foods and the symptom prevalence of asthma, rhinoconjuntivitis, and eczema is causal, then the findings have major public health significance owing to the rising consumption of fast foods globally.” Fast foods and junk foods are high in sodium, trans fats, refined carbohydrates, and saturated fat.
Junk food is also high in HFCS, other corn-crap, soy, sulfites, GMOs, pesticides, artificial colors and flavors, and other hazardous additives. It is no wonder those foods cause allergies, asthma, eczema and other serious health problems.