Eating salmon, mackerel and sardines regularly as a child can increase the risk of developing asthma as you get older, according to a team of scientists.
Queen’s University London researchers studied data from 4,500 babies born in the 1990s in the UK – which have been studied by scientists since birth.
Those who ate the most omega-3 fatty fish were less likely to develop the life-threatening respiratory illness, according to a new study.
In the UK young families with children aged five to 11 eat the least amount of fish – with just 25 per cent of households getting it at least twice a week.
Eleven adolescents – 1.1 million children – are being treated for asthma and most adult cases begin in infancy, according to Queen Mary researchers.
Those in the top quartile had a 51 percent lower risk for developing fish consumption than their peers who ate the least oily fish. Stock image
Senior author Professor Seif Shaheen said: ‘Asthma is the most common debilitating condition in childhood and we do not currently know how to prevent it.
‘It is possible that a poor diet may increase the risk, but so far most studies have taken‘ snap-shots ’, measuring diet and asthma over a short period of time.
‘Instead, we measured diet and followed children over several years to see who developed asthma and who did not. ‘
Seafood is rich in healthy omega-3 fatty acids. It belongs to oily varieties – which also include kippers, trout and fresh tuna.
The result is based on more than 4,500 participants in the Children in the 90s program who have traced the lives of young people born in the south west of England to learn more about diseases – including asthma.
Those in the top quartile had a 51 percent lower risk for developing fish consumption than their peers who ate the least oily fish.
It applied to individuals with the FADS (fatty acid desaturase) gene mutation – carried by more than half of the children involved in the study.
The common mutation breaks down levels of omega-3 fatty acids in the blood.
Known as EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), these genetic mutations cut inflammation.
Seafood is rich in healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Oily varieties – which also includes kippers, mackerel, trout and fresh tuna
The study published in the European Journal of Respiration estimated the uptake of EPA and DHA from seven-year-old fish from food frequency questionnaires.
This was compared with the rate of new doctor-confirmed cases of asthma at 11 to 14.
Shaheen said: ‘While we cannot say with certainty that eating more fish will prevent asthma in children, based on what we have found, it would make sense for children in the UK to eat more fish. ‘
The results were confirmed in an independent group of people born in Sweden.
Shaheen’s team – which included colleagues at the universities of Bristol and Southampton and the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm – now hopes to see if eating fish can stop asthma attacks in people with the situation already.
The NHS spends around £ 1 billion a year treating and caring for people with asthma.
A previous study has found that children with asthma who follow a fat-rich Mediterranean diet have better lung function.
There is growing evidence that a healthy diet can be a cure for childhood asthma.
Other studies have found that regular consumption of oily fish reduces heart attack and stroke by stimulating blood fat by more than a quarter.
Omega-3 fatty acids are also known to increase the risk of depression and depression slash.
They are essential for the proper functioning of the brain and body – preventing depression, diabetes and arthritis.
Dr. Alister McNeish, Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Pharmacy, University of Reading, said the success of oily fish in reducing the risk of asthma is due to genes.
‘These interesting data indicate that higher levels of early childhood in fish consumption and therefore omega-3 acid consumption appear to be associated with a lower rate of asthma; except in children who have a common gene make-up that is associated with lower levels of omega-3 in the blood (FADS genotype).
Dr. Alister McNeish, Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Pharmacy, University of Reading, said the success of oily fish in reducing the risk of asthma is due to genes. Stock image
‘In the group as a whole and children who do not have this gene do not make up the link between fish consumption and asthma, which is consistent with previous cohort studies where no link was found between consumption fish and the yoke. ‘
‘These findings do not prove that eating more fish in childhood prevents asthma,; said McNeish, adding that omega-3 consumption levels in the UK are often below recommended levels. ‘
‘The observations are consistent with other areas of omega-3 study such as in the cardiovascular system where beneficial effects are only seen in people with low blood levels or omega-3s.’
The findings were published in the European Respiratory Journal.