Health Issue: Burgers raise risk of Asthama

Burgers raise asthma risk

in children, says study

London: Children who eat three or more burgers a week may be at a higher risk of asthma and wheezing. but a healthy diet rich in fruit and fish seems to stave off the risk, according to large international study.

       Researchers from Germany, Spain and Britain who studied data on 50,000 children across the world found the link between burgers and asthma was strongest in rich nations where diets with high levels of junk food are more common. 

      A meat-heavy diet itself has no bearing on the prevalence of asthma, according to the researchers. Yet frequent burger eating could be a signal for other lifestyle factors which raise asthma risk.

      "This is a sign that the link is not strongly related to the food itself, but that burgers are a proxy for other lifestyle factors like obesity and lack of exercise." said Gabriele Nagel of Ulm University, Germany, who led the study.

      She added, however, that there were "biologically plausible" links for the positive effects of a healthier diet, which could be down to the antioxidants found in fruit and vegetables. and the omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in fish, which have anti-inflammatory properties.