Objective: To assess the association of dietary fatty acids with asthma in Indian school children.
Methods: Children aged 6-16 years were enrolled from randomly selected urban schools in 10 cities. The International Study on Asthma and Allergies in Childhood Phase III Questionnaire was used to assess the prevalence of asthma. Three-day dietary intake data was obtained using 24-hr dietary recall method. Intake of saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and trans fatty acids (TFA) was calculated using DIETSOFT software.
Results: Between April 2019 and February 2020, 2428 participants were recruited (49.8% males) from 60 schools. The prevalence of asthma was 2.4% (95 % CI 1.8, 3.1). The mean (SD) intake of various FA (g per kg) were 0.19 (0.22) for SFA,18 (0.22) for MUFA, 0.17 (0.18) for PUFA and 0.003 (0.005) for TFA. SFA intake in those with asthma was 0.35 (0.34) as compared to 0.18 (0.21) without asthma (P value < 0.001). On unconditional logistic regression, dietary intake of TFA was associated with asthma in children [OR 2.16 (95% CI 1.27, 3.68)].
Conclusion: Dietary intake of SFA and TFA is associated with asthma in children.