Table 1.
Study | Location | Study population | Dietary assessment | Dietary analyses | Asthma assessment | Adjustments | Prevalence/incidence | Symptoms/morbidity |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Priftanji et al,21 2002 Cross-sectional study of factors associated with asthma |
Albania |
717 adults (20–44 y old) |
question regarding frequency of prepackaged food intake |
binary scale (consumption <1 vs >1×/wk) |
self-report: asthma attack, nighttime awakening for shortness of breath, or current treatment |
age, sex, smoking |
prepackaged food intake was associated with possible allergic asthma (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.01–2.55) and possible nonallergic asthma (OR 1.82, 95% CI 1.17–2.83) |
|
Butler et al,18 2006 Prospective study of dietary patterns and persistent cough with phlegm |
Singapore |
52,325 adults (45–74 y old) |
165-item FFQ |
PCA |
self-report: incident asthma confirmed by symptom and medication report |
age, energy intake, dialect group, sex, smoking status, age at smoking initiation, cigarettes/d, secondhand smoke, education; BMI explored and not correlated with dietary pattern |
adherence to a diet rich in meat, sodium, and refined carbohydrates was not significantly associated with incident asthma |
|
Varraso et al,24 2007 Prospective study of dietary patterns and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease |
United States |
72,043 women (30–55 y old) |
116-item FFQ recording intake during previous 12 mo |
PCA-FA |
self-report: physician diagnosis and use of medication for asthma within previous 12 mo |
age, race/ethnicity, energy intake, spouse’s educational attainment, supplement use, physical activity, smoking, secondhand smoke, menopausal status, physician visits, US region |
no association was found between Western diet pattern and adult-onset asthma |
|
Varraso et al,25 2007 Prospective study of dietary patterns and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease |
United States |
42,917 men (40–75 y old) |
131-item FFQ |
PCA-FA |
self-report: physician diagnosis and use of medication for asthma within previous 12 mo |
age, race/ethnicity, energy intake, smoking, supplement use, BMI, physical activity, physician visits, US region |
no association was found between Western diet pattern and adult-onset asthma |
|
Uddenfeldt et al,23 2010 Long-term follow-up study of diet and asthma in 3 age groups |
Sweden |
8,150 adults (16, 30–39, 60–69 y old) |
7 questions about consumption of foods |
consumption score by frequency, summary score for fruit and fish |
self-report: asthma or use of asthma medication |
age, sex, smoking, socioeconomic group, BMI heredity, hay fever, GERD, snoring, physical activity, building dampness |
fast food intake was not associated with incident asthma |
|
Takaoka and Norback,22 2008 Cross-sectional study of diet and asthmatic symptoms, infections, pollen and furry pet allergy |
Japan |
153 female university students (mean age 21 y) |
11 questions abstracted from a FFQ and a question on type of oil used for cooking |
FFQ (intake) scales and PCA-FA |
self-report: “current asthma”current asthma medication use or attack in previous 12 mo |
age, smoking, parental asthma/allergy |
no association was found between any dietary factors (including fast food) and asthma prevalence |
fast food intake was associated with wheeze (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.02–2.78) and nocturnal breathlessness (OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.06–4.79); a diet pattern score, including fast food, juice, and soft drinks, was related to wheeze (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.04e1.37) |
Varraso et al,26 2009 Prospective study of dietary patterns and asthma in E3N Study |
France |
54,672 women (40–65 y old) |
French FFQ |
PCA-FA |
self-report: history of asthma attacks and, when available, self-reported physician diagnosis |
age, energy intake, smoking status, years of education, hay fever, supplement use, BMI, physical activity, menopausal status |
no association of dietary patterns was found with asthma incidence, ever asthma, or current asthma |
Western diet pattern was associated with increased odds of frequent (≥1/wk) asthma attacks only in those with asthma not taking vitamin supplements (OR 1.56–1.79, P < .05) |
Hooper et al,19 2010 Cross-sectional study of dietary patterns and asthma in residents of 3 countries in European Community Respiratory Health Survey-–II |
Europe |
1,174 adults (29–55 y old) |
German and UK FFQs recording intake during previous 12 mo and supplemental questions using local food tables |
PCA |
self-report: asthma or nocturnal shortness of breath, attack in previous 12 mo, or asthma medication use |
age, sex, social class, smoking status, exercise, BMI, energy intake |
diet pattern was not associated with asthma prevalence |
meat-and-potato diet (similar to Western diet) was associated with increased per-quintile asthma symptoms in the United Kingdom (ratio 1.34, 95% CI 1.09–1.67) and Norway (ratio 1.24, 95% CI 1.00–1.55), but decreased per-quintile asthma symptoms in Germany (ratio 0.81, 95% CI 0.68–0.97) |
McKeever et al,20 2010 Combined cross-sectional and longitudinal study of diet and relation to respiratory disease and lung function |
Netherlands |
cross-sectional, 12,648 adults (20–59 y old); longitudinal, 2,911 adults |
178-item FFQ |
PCA-FA |
physician-diagnosed asthma |
age, sex, educational level, smoking status, pack-years height, BMI |
a refined diet pattern (similar to a Western diet pattern) was not associated with asthma prevalence |
a refined diet pattern (similar to a Western diet pattern) showed a trend for increased wheeze prevalence across increasing quintiles of intake (P = .07) |
Bakolis et al,17 2010 Population-based case—control study of dietary patterns and asthma |
United Kingdom |
599 cases, 854 controls (16–50 y old) |
>200-item FFQ |
PCA |
self-report: asthma attack, waking, shortness of breath in previous 12 mo, asthma medication use |
age, sex, ethnicity, BMI, social class, housing tenure, employment status, single parent, smoking, secondhand smoke, energy intake, number of siblings, paracetamol use, supplement use |
no association was found between a Western dietary pattern and asthma prevalence after adjustment |
no association was found between a Western dietary pattern and nocturnal asthma symptoms or asthma quality-of-life score |
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; CI, confidence interval; FFQ, food frequency questionnaire; GERD, gastroesophageal reflux disease; OR, odds ratio; PCA, principal components analysis; PCA-FA, principal components analysis and factor analysis.