Among adolescents who ate the fast-food industry three or more times a week, there were 39% more patients with severe asthma or eczema, and among younger children there were 27% more such patients.
The study, which covered 319 thousand teenagers from more than 50 countries and 181 thousand children aged 6-7 years from more than 30 countries, was conducted under the guidance of scientists from the University of Auckland in New Zealand.
The study did not prove that it was junk food that led to the development of conditions associated with an excessive reaction of the body's immune system. But since the study of fast food was the only factor that leads to such violations, the conclusion of scientists is as follows: such a diet can cause an asthma attack or eczema outbreak. Fast food contains high levels of trans fatty acids, which are known to affect immune responses.
Conversely, the inclusion in the diet of three or more servings of fruit per week showed a protective effect, reducing the incidence of sudden exacerbations of these two conditions. This information came from developed countries, including Canada, as well as from developing countries such as Nigeria and Brazil.
A nearly four-fold increase in the prevalence of childhood obesity over the past three decades, a twofold increase in asthma cases since the 1980s, and a sharp increase in the number of children with a disorder such as attention deficit disorder are all causes of an increase in the number of chronic diseases, according to a study 2007 scientists at Harvard University.
