Childhood illness

What about the link to vaccination, industrial foods and any other number of environmental causes?  I remember being told by my doctor that there was only "anecdotal evidence" that allergies were linked to food!

Fast food linked to childhood asthma

A study of more than 500,000 children across the world has found a link between eating fast food and conditions such as asthma and eczema.

Radio NZ,

15 January, 2013

Professor Innes Asher from the University of Auckland and Professor Hywel Williams from the University of Nottingham in Britain looked at the data on global disease and dietary patterns.

They say the data from children in 51 countries suggests poor diet may be to blame for rising levels of allergy-related conditions.

Those who ate more than three servings a week of fast food such as such as take-away burgers, fries and pizzas were more prone to wheezing, runny noses, watery eyes and itchy skin - symptoms of conditions such as asthma, conjunctivitis and eczema.

Professor Asher says the results don't prove cause and effect, but hopes the study will help convince people that fast food should only be eaten in moderation.

The study's authors say eating plenty of fruit appears to be protective. Their findings were published in respiratory medicine journal Thorax, the official journal of the British Thoracic Society.

A New Zealand health expert says the research is a compelling argument for the negative effects of fast food.

Kyle Perrin, a respiratory physician and medical adviser for the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation, says further research is needed to prove the link.

However, Dr Perrin says the study could have major implications for public health in New Zealand and worldwide.