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The association of polyunsaturated fatty acids and asthma: a cross-sectional study
Gangtie Liu1, Hengbo Ye2, Qian Cheng2
1Department of Pediatrics, Taian Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital, No.386 Longtan Road, Taian, 271000, Shandong Province, People's Republic of China. tafyenk@outlook.com.
Insights
Higher intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), specifically docosahexaenoic acid, is linked to reduced childhood asthma risk. This protective effect is more pronounced in males and children exposed to maternal smoking during pregnancy.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Epidemiology
- Pediatric Respiratory Health
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids Research
Background:
- Asthma is a significant global health concern in children.
- Dietary factors, including polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), are increasingly investigated for their role in asthma development.
- Understanding the PUFA-asthma link can inform preventive strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between dietary intake of various PUFAs and the prevalence of asthma in children.
- To explore potential modifying effects of gender, age, and maternal smoking on this relationship.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 14,727 participants in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) (1999-2018).
- Employed descriptive analysis and weighted multivariate logistic regression to assess PUFA intake and asthma association.
- Conducted subgroup analyses based on gender, age, and maternal smoking history.
Main Results:
- A total of 15.38% of participants had asthma.
- Dietary intake of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), total n-3 PUFAs, and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) showed a negative association with childhood asthma.
- Subgroup analysis revealed a stronger negative association between DHA intake and asthma in males, children aged 5-12 years, and those whose mothers smoked during pregnancy.
Conclusions:
- Dietary intake of DHA is significantly associated with a reduced risk of asthma in children.
- The protective effect of DHA against childhood asthma is particularly evident in specific subgroups, including males, children aged 5-12 years, and those with a history of maternal smoking during pregnancy.
Background:
To examine the relationships between polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) dietary intake and asthma in children.
Methods:
In this cross-sectional study, a total of 14,727 participants from the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database in 1999-2018 were included, and the baseline characteristics of all participants were gathered. The description analysis was used to explore the possible covariates. Weighted multivariate logistic regression models were adopted to assessed the association between PUFAs dietary intake and asthma in children. In addition, we also performed subgroup analysis based on gender, age, and maternal smoking during pregnancy to investigate this relationship.
Results:
The prevalence of asthma approximately was 15.38% in the present study. The result of weighted multivariate logistic regression indicated that, docosahexaenoic [weighted odds ratio (OR) = 0.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.19-0.74], total n - 3 PUFAs (weighted OR = 0.63, 95%CI 0.43-0.91), and eicosapentaenoic (weighted OR = 0.35, 95%CI 0.13-0.95) dietary intake were negatively associated with asthma in children. The subgroup analysis described that when children were male (weighted OR = 0.28, 95%CI 0.10-0.84), or were 5-7 years (weighted OR = 0.04, 95%CI 0.01-0.37), were 7-12 years (weighted OR = 0.46, 95%CI 0.24-0.90), or their maternal smoking during pregnancy (weighted OR = 0.16, 95%CI 0.03-0.90), docosahexaenoic dietary intake was negatively related to childhood asthma.
Conclusion:
Docosahexaenoic dietary intake was negatively associated with the asthma in children, especially if children were male, or were 5-12 years, or their maternal smoking during pregnancy.
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