Ultra-processed food intake linked with the occurrence of childhood allergies

What we eat appears to be shaping our health in many ways.

DAVOS-WOLFGANG, SWITZERLAND, September 11, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Studies show that ultra-processed food intake may be linked to the occurrence of childhood asthma and allergies.

This is the main result of a systematic review conducted by the Immunodulation & Nutrition Workgroup of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) that has been published in the journal of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.


Allergic diseases have increased among children of all ages in industrialized/westernized over the past two decades. Several environmental factors, such as dietary habits, could play a crucial role in facilitating the occurrence of these conditions. The consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) has significantly increased among the pediatric population and has consistently comprised most of their total energy intake. There is a growing body of evidence that UPFs could exert a detrimental effect on human health facilitating the occurrence of chronic non-transmissible diseases.
The authors reported that the transition toward dietary habits characterized by higher consumption of UPFs, could be linked to the increased prevalence of allergic diseases in childhood, thorugh a complex interplay involving diet, microbiome, immune system, other environmental factors and genetic background. Whilst the authors mention that more supporting data are required to definitively link ultra-processed food intake to the risk of allergies, and asthma,the findings point towards the importance of addressing the quality of the diet offered to children when thinking of the risk of allergies and asthma.


We need to get back to cooking at home! Eating home-made cooked foods may have many health benefits for all of us, including reduction in asthma and allergies

Prof. Rosan Meyer
We are hoping to indentify ways to stem the tide of asthma and allergic diseases and the answer may be as simple as reducing the intake of ultraprocessed foods.

Prof. Pete Smith
What we eat appears to be shaping our health in many ways. There are strong associations to adverse health outcomes including allergic diseases although this is an area where we need more research to understand the mechanisms by which this may occur. Eat clean, varied, fresh and unprocessed where possible.

Dr. Roberto Berni Canani, MD, PhD
European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
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