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Published on: August 7, 2017
Adherence to an Anti-Inflammatory Diet and Atopic Diseases' Prevalence in Adolescence: The Greek Global Asthma
Dafni Moriki1, George Antonogeorgos1,2, Despoina Koumpagioti3
1Allergology and Pulmonology Unit, 3rd Pediatric Department, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 12462 Athens, Greece.
Objective:
Atopic diseases are among the most common morbidities in children and adolescents. The association between adherence to an anti-inflammatory dietary pattern and the prevalence of atopic diseases among adolescents was examined.
Methods:
A total of 1934 adolescents (boys: 47.5%, mean age (standard deviation): 12.7 (0.6) years) were voluntarily enrolled. Participants completed a validated questionnaire on atopic disease status as well as one assessing dietary habits and other sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics. A special Diet Anti-inflammatory Index (DAI) score was calculated for the evaluation of adherence to an anti-inflammatory dietary pattern.
Results:
A total of 6.9% of the participants reported current asthma symptoms, while 25.3% reported rhinitis symptoms and 8.9% reported eczema. Adolescents with high adherence to an anti-inflammatory diet were 58% less likely to have asthma symptoms compared with those with low adherence when adjusted for multiple confounders (p < 0.01). No significant associations were observed between the level of adherence to an anti-inflammatory diet and the prevalence of allergic rhinitis and eczema.
Conclusion:
An anti-inflammatory diet seems to be independently associated with a lower prevalence of asthma in adolescents. Thus, pediatricians and other healthcare providers should promote anti-inflammatory dietary patterns as a preventive measure for atopic diseases from early stages of life.
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