Dietary Zinc Intake Linked to Reduced Asthma Risk in Overweight or Obese Children and Adolescents
A recent study published in the World Allergy Organization Journal has found a significant association between higher dietary zinc intake and a reduced risk of asthma in overweight or obese children and adolescents. The study, conducted by researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning 2011 to 2020.
The study examined the relationship between asthma occurrence and dietary zinc intake among children and adolescents with overweight or obesity. The researchers hypothesized that asthmatic individuals in this group would have lower zinc intake compared to their healthy counterparts. The study included 4,597 individuals under 20 years of age, with 963 reporting asthma. Participants with incomplete asthma questionnaires, incomplete dietary zinc intake data, or normal weight were excluded.
After controlling for various factors such as demographics and dietary intake, the researchers found a significant inverse relationship between dietary zinc intake and asthma. The adjusted odds ratios for asthma in the second, third, and fourth quartiles of zinc intake were 0.78, 0.76, and 0.71, respectively, compared to the lowest zinc intake quartile. This suggests that higher zinc intake is associated with a reduced risk of asthma in this population.
The study also found that dietary zinc intake was inversely associated with recent asthma attacks and remained so after adjusting for asthma treatment. These results suggest that dietary zinc may have a protective effect against asthma in children and adolescents who are overweight or obese.
The study’s findings highlight the potential role of dietary zinc in asthma management and warrant further research into the therapeutic potential of zinc supplementation. Future studies using prospective cohort designs and randomized controlled trials may shed further light on the causal effect of dietary zinc intake on alleviating asthma in this population.
