A respiratory condition like asthma in kids may be very common, but a new study has shown that children who are used to eating plenty of oily fish can significantly cut their risks of developing asthma by as much as 50 percent.
Experts from London's Queen Mary University said that most studies linking the risk of asthma in kids to poor diet have mostly been "snapshots" of the disease developing over a short period of time. Though asthma is the "most common chronic condition" among children, experts still have not figured out how to prevent its development.
However, Professor Seif Shaheen believes their latest study has finally provided more precise data on why some children develop asthma while others do not experience this respiratory illness.
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Boosting the Omega-3 Fatty Acid
Shaheen and her team of experts looked into the data of 4,500 kids in England and followed their diet changes for years. From this data, 51 percent of the children showed lowered risks of asthma development because of what they eat.
Their common denominator is a diet of oily fish, which mainly contains a gene variant called fatty acid desaturase (FADS). This element boosts the metabolism of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood. The experts also found out that the children who eat more oily fish had more fatty acids like eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which help with inflammation. Both elements are also a type of omega-3 fatty acid.
The omega-3 fatty acid is abundant in fishes like tuna, trout, sardines, salmon, or mackerel, key ingredients in any Mediterranean diet. The omega-3 fatty acid is also essential for developing the brain and body to help prevent serious diseases like diabetes, dementia, and arthritis.
The experts then compared the rate of diagnosed cases of asthma in kids and learned that children between the ages of five to 11 years old eat less fish by only 25 percent a week. The rate of asthma diagnosis was higher in this age group and even higher among kids 11 to 14 years old, whose taste preferences in food have vastly changed.
Shaheen said that it would be "sensible" to let children eat more fish based on their findings. The experts published their findings in the European Respiratory Journal.
What Omega-3 Fatty Acid Does to the Lungs
In 2019, experts from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine said that omega-3 fatty acid might help strengthen the lungs in its response to toxins and pollutants that may lead to inflammation, following a six-month study on pollution and asthma in kids. This condition is usually triggered by lung inflammation and other respiratory symptoms.
The experts also said that as the children develop more asthma symptoms and take more medication, their lung function worsens. Thus, adjusting their diet to include more oily fish will significantly help prevent an attack, as seen from their participants during the study.
