New epidemiologic research on teenagers in North America shows that a diet poor in essential vitamins and minerals, and other antioxidant compounds is linked to increased risk for developing respiratory conditions including asthma and reduced lung function. The study was conducted in high school seniors in 12 communities in the U.S. and Canada. The results suggest that higher dietary intake of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory micronutrients, such as vitamins A, C, and E and omega-3 fatty acids, is linked to lower reports of cough, respiratory infections, and less-severe asthma symptoms.
Lung growth and development parallels growth in physical stature; therefore the study subjects in late adolescence were near their peak of lung function. Analysis of questionnaires showed that 33 per cent of the study subjects’ diets were below the USDA recommendations for fruits, vegetables, essential vitamins and minerals, etc. One-third of the teenagers were overweight, another contributing factor for asthma; 72 percent did not take multivitamins, and 25 percent smoked. The results showed that low intake of vitamins A and C, fruits and vegetables, and omega-3 fatty acids such as those found in fish and algae, was linked to reduced lung function, increased wheeze, greater risk of asthma, and symptoms of chronic bronchitis. These risks were highest among study subjects with the poorest diets who also smoked.
This study adds to the body of knowledge that a healthy diet high in antioxidants is important for proper lung growth and development to reduce the risk of asthma as well as improve the general health of teens. The researchers conclude that snacks of fresh fruit and a simple nutritious family meal would be easy ways to helps teens consume the proper amounts of essential nutrient.
Source NIH and:
Frank Speizer, M.D., Douglas Dockery, Sc.D., Joel Schwartz, Ph.D., and Brent A. Coull, Ph.D.
Harvard School of Public Health
Too few American adolescents with asthma and other high-risk illnesses are getting flu shots, a new study finds.
Researchers analyzed vaccination rates from 1992 to 2002 for 18,703 adolescents with asthma, cardiac disease, immune system disorders and other conditions.
During the study period, vaccination rates improved, but only from 8 percent to 15 percent. From 1999 to 2002, only 11 percent of the patients received vaccinations during all four seasons, and more than 56 percent received no flu shots during those four years.
There were many missed opportunities, the researchers noted. From 45 percent to 55 percent of the adolescents who had one or more health-care visits during the flu season didn’t receive a flu shot. Those who had preventive visits were more likely to receive influenza vaccine.
The findings were published in the November issue of Pediatrics.
“Influenza vaccination has been recommended for adolescents with high-risk conditions for well over a decade,” study author Mari Nakamura, a clinical fellow in pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Boston, said in a Harvard Medical School news release.
In children and adolescents with high-risk conditions, flu can lead to severe illness, hospitalization and even death.
Nakamura and colleagues concluded that both parents and health-care providers must be part of any intervention strategy designed to boost flu vaccination rates among high-risk adolescents. For example, letters to parents and electronic reminders to health-care providers have been shown to help improve vaccination rates.
“Our findings lend support for the simplicity of universal vaccination,” Nakamura said. “More adolescents, especially those with high-risk conditions, may be vaccinated if providers and parents don’t first have to identify who meets criteria for vaccination, as under a risk-based approach.”
