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A new study reports that children who ate less butter and fish and more margarine were more likely to develop allergies than children who ate more butter and fish. This research highlights the importance of certain dietary fats for preventing childhood allergies such as asthma.
Published in the journal Allergy, the new research provides more evidence of a link between essential fatty acids and allergic diseases, according to Dr. Teija Dunder and colleagues at the University of Oulu. The scientists reviewed data from 462 children aged 3 to 18 in 1980 and from 308 children in 1986, and followed the children for 9 years.
High fish intake, the researchers noted, has been linked to lower rates of asthma. The current study supports the idea that the fat composition of children's diets may influence their allergy risk, concluded Dunder and colleagues. In their findings, the ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fat was higher, and the percentage of myristic acid (an indicator of saturated fat intake) was significantly lower, in children with atopic dermatitis - a common allergic reaction that causes itchy skin.
Previous studies have shown that certain types of fatty acids may play a role in the onset of allergies. For example, polyunsaturated fats like those in margarine are thought to promote the formation of prostaglandin E2, a substance that promotes inflammation causes the immune system to trigger allergic reactions.
Researchers cautioned that the ability to prevent allergies in children by supplementation or by dietary changes still needs to be tested in clinical trials.
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