Burgers linked to higher pediatric asthma risk

Children who eat over a certain amount of burgers a week may be at a higher risk of asthma and wheezing, according to a new study published in Thorax. 

On the flip side, the same study revealed that eating a diet rich in fruit and fish may decrease the risk. 

Researchers from Germany, Spain, and Britain studied the dietary data from 50,000 children worldwide and found that eating burgers was strongly associated with increased risk of asthma. 

The researchers were cited by Reuters as saying that eating meat may not be the reason, exactly, for the respiratory problems;but that the association suggests that those who eat burgers may follow a lifestyle which raises asthma risk. 

Gabriele Nagel of the Institute of Epidemiology at Ulm University, Germany was cited as saying that there is a plausible reason for the association. She said antioxidants found in fruit and vegetables and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in fish are anti-inflammatory. 

Asthma risk may have something to do with inflammation. 

In the study of 50,000 children, aged 8 to 12 years from 20 countries, researchers found that foods rich in vitamin C were linked to better lung function and fewer asthma symptoms. 

The researchers did not find an association between diet and allergies, but diet was linked to the prevalence of asthma and wheezing.

David Liu and editing by Rachel Stockton