Fish and polyunsaturated fat intake and development of allergic and nonallergic rhinitis

Rhinitis is one of the most common diseases in childhood. Fish, polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), and vitamin D intakes have been hypothesized to affect the risk of allergic disease; however, it is unclear whether these are linked to the development of rhinitis.

We sought to assess potential associations between consumption of fish, dietary n-3 and n-6 PUFAs, and vitamin D at age 8 years and development of allergic rhinitis (AR) and nonallergic rhinitis (NAR) between the ages of 8 and 16 years.

We included 1970 participants from a birth cohort. Data on dietary intake was obtained from a food frequency questionnaire at age 8 years. The rhinitis definition was based on questionnaires and IgE measures.

The prevalence of rhinitis symptoms at age 8 years was 19% (n = 380). Among the 1590 children without rhinitis symptoms at age 8 years, 21% (n = 337) had AR between ages 8 and 16 years, and 15% (n = 236) had NAR. Regular intake of oily fish and higher long-chain n-3 PUFA intake were associated with a reduced risk of cumulative incidence of NAR (adjusted odds ratio, 0.52 [95% CI, 0.32-0.87] for oily fish; odds ratio, 0.45 [95% CI, 0.30-0.67] for highest vs lowest tertile of long-chain n-3 PUFAs; P trend < .001). The results for rhinitis, irrespective of AR and NAR, were in line with the findings for NAR.

Regular consumption of oily fish and dietary long-chain n-3 PUFAs in childhood might decrease the risk of rhinitis, especially NAR, between the ages of 8 and 16 years.