Mediterranean Diet Helps Cold, Asthma, and Allergy Health in Children

by | Oct 20, 2008 | 2008, Allergies, Asthma, Infant and Children's Health, Mediterranean Diet

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Those with the highest adherence to the Mediterranean Diet reduced asthma and cold symptoms by 60% and 59% respectively.

In the United States alone, at least one billion colds are reported each year, averaging 2–6 colds per person (1), and costing our healthcare system $40 billion a year (2). Asthma affects more than 20 million Americans, including 6.1 million children (3), and is “a major public health problem of increasing concern in the United States.” It is the third-ranking cause of hospitalization among those younger than 15 years of age. The condition costs our healthcare system $3.2 billion and results in 14 million lost school days each year (4).

Environmental concerns play a significant role in asthma, including damp homes and exposure to chemical-based cleaners. Asthma in adults is being increasingly attributed to consuming a western diet and low antioxidant intake (8). A 2006 study reinforced the relationship between antioxidants and asthma (9).

Now a new study (10) has found that the antioxidant-rich Mediterranean Diet (MD), characterized by a high intake of vegetables, fruits and nuts, legumes, fish and cereals, and a low intake of dairy products, meat, junk food and fat, may benefit cold, asthma, and allergy symptoms in children.

In the study, food intake of 1476 children (6- to 7-years old) living in Mexico was assessed for 12 months via a parental food frequency questionnaire (11). Their mothers’ food intake during pregnancy was also assessed. The researchers then compiled a Mediterranean Diet score used in previous research (12) that ranged from 0 (minimum adherence to Mediterranean diet) to 8 (maximum adherence).

The children’s mothers answered a questionnaire on cold, asthma, and allergy information that included questions such as ‘Have you ever been told by a doctor that your child has asthma?’ or; ‘Has your child ever had wheezing or whistling in the chest?’; ‘Has your child ever had [a cold]?’; ‘Has your child ever had a problem with sneezing, or a runny, or blocked nose when he/she did not have a cold or the flu?’; ‘In the past 12 months, has this nose problem been accompanied by itchy-watery eyes?’

The researchers found that those with the highest adherence to the Mediterranean Diet reduced their risk of asthma and cold symptoms by 60% and 59%, respectively. When looking at allergy symptoms like wheezing, itchy-watery eyes, and sneezing, highest adherence to the Mediterranean Diet reduced these risks by 36%, 29%, and 21%, respectively.

For the researchers, this study shows that a greater adherence to [the MD]…is associated with having less asthma, wheezing, allergic rhinitis, current sneezing and current itchy-watery eyes, in Mexican children” while “No associations were found when studying the mothers’ adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern during pregnancy.

Source: De Batlle, J., J. Garcia‐Aymerich, A. Barraza‐Villarreal, J. M. Antó, and I. Romieu. “Mediterranean diet is associated with reduced asthma and rhinitis in Mexican children.” Allergy 63, no. 10 (2008): 1310-1316.

© 2008 The Authors

Posted October 20, 2008.

References:

  1. Gwaltney JM Jr. Clinical significance and pathogenesis of viral respiratory infections. Am J Med 2002;112:13S-18S.
  2. Fendrick AM.  The economic burden of non-influenza-related viral respiratory tract infection in the United States.  Arch Intern Med.2003 Feb 24;163(4).
  3. “Asthma” posted on the American Lung Association Website.
  4. CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health Website. “Asthma’s Impact on Children and Adolescents”
  5. Jaakkola, J. J., B. F. Hwang, et al. (2005). “Home dampness and molds, parental atopy, and asthma in childhood: a six-year population-based cohort study.” Environ Health Perspect 113(3): 357-61.
  6. Sherriff, A., A. Farrow, et al. (2005). “Frequent use of chemical household products is associated with persistent wheezing in pre-school age children.” Thorax 60(1): 45-9.
  7. Seaton A, Godden DJ, Brown K. Increase in asthma: a more toxic environment or a more susceptible population? Thorax 1994;49:171–4.
  8. Misso NL.  Plasma concentrations of dietary and nondietary antioxidants are low in severe asthma.  Eur Respir J. 2005 Aug;26(2):257-64.
  9. Patel BD.  Dietary antioxidants and asthma in adults. Thorax, May 2006; 61; 388 – 393.
  10. de Battle J. Mediterranean diet is associated with reduced asthma and rhinitis in Mexican children.Allergy 2008; 63(10): 1310-1316.
  11. Hernandez-Avila M, Romieu I, Parra S, Hernandex-Avila J, Madrigal H, Willett W. “Validity and reproducibility of a food frequency questionnaire to assess dietary intake of women living in Mexico City”, Salud Publica Mex, 1998;40:133-140.
  12. Trichopoulos A, Costacou T, GBamia C, Trichopoulos D, “Adherence to a Mediterranean diet and survival in a Greek population”, N Engl J Med 2003;348:2599-2608.