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CAMPAIGNS to reduce heart disease by promoting polyunsaturated margarines and
cooking oils could be partly responsible for the recent dramatic increase in
childhood asthma in the developed world, say researchers in Australia.

They have found that a diet high in polyunsaturated fats more than doubles a
child’s risk of asthma.

Polyunsaturated fats contain high levels of omega-6 fatty acids, which can
increase inflammation. This is one possible explanation for the link with
asthma, says a team led by Michelle Haby of the Royal Children’s Hospital in
Melbourne.

“But at this stage, children should not be changing their diet,” says Haby.
“We do not know whether changing the diet will reduce the risk or severity of
asthma. That is the subject of ongoing investigation.”

The team studied around a thousand children aged between three and five
living in two rural towns in Australia. Parents filled in a detailed
questionnaire. Based on the responses, the team estimates that a high level of
polyunsaturated fats in the diet might account for 17 per cent of asthma cases
in the children they studied.

Whether the change in the fats in our diet is to blame for the recent rise in
the incidence of asthma is unclear, Haby says. “I expect the increase in asthma
is due to a combination of factors, one of which may be diet.”