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Clinical Summary

Childhood asthma: high dietary antioxidant intake linked to improved lung function

Takeaway

  • A large Swedish cohort study finds that even though high dietary antioxidant intake had no association with improved lung function across the entire paediatric cohort, children with asthma (vs without asthma) did show such an association.

Why this matters

  • Children with asthma should adhere to dietary recommendations for 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

Study design

  • A prospective, population-based cohort of Swedish children (N=2307) followed from age 8 to 16 years.
  • Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was obtained at age 8 years from a food frequency questionnaire.
  • Lung function was assessed by spirometry at age 8 and 16 years, and impulse oscillometry (IOS) and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) at age 16 years.
  • Funding: Swedish Research Council; others.

Key results

  • Median TAC intake was 10,067 μmol Trolox (water-soluble analogue of vitamin E)  equivalents/g (TE/g); boys had a lower mean vs girls.
  • For the total study population, there was no association between TAC in tertiles and spirometry results between ages 8 and 16 years.
    • In the subgroup of children with asthma (7% of cohort) vs without asthma, higher TAC was associated with higher mean FEV1 (standard deviation, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.11-0.80) and reduced likelihood of low lung function at 16 years (aOR, 0.28; 95% CI, 0.12-0.65).
  • No associations were found between TAC and FVC or IOS/FENO.

Limitations

  • Observational design.

References


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