Kids’ changing diets may be, in part, responsible for the worldwide increase in asthma. A study published in the September 2000 issue of Thorax looked at the demographics and skin test results of children with and without asthma. They found that the more vegetables, fiber, and other nutrients (including vitamin E, calcium, and magnesium) consumed by kids, the lower their risk of developing asthma. And the reverse also appeared true: the more often children ate at fast food restaurants, the more likely they were to wheeze. We don’t know whether it is something that kids eat or fail to eat that is the bigger concern, but it does appear that diet plays a role in this important disease.

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