Mediterranean diet and lung function, sensitization, and asthma at school age: The PARIS cohort

Abstract

The Mediterranean diet (MD) has known health benefits, but its specific impact on allergy development is unclear. As part of the PARIS birth cohort follow-up, we aimed to investigate the adherence of 8-year-old children to the MD and its association with allergic/respiratory morbidity at school age. Diet was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire completed by the parents. Adherence to the MD was assessed based on two scores: the KIDMED index and the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS). Current allergic diseases (asthma, rhinitis, eczema), lung function indices (FEV1 and FVC), FeNO and specific IgE levels were determined during a health check-up at 8years. Associations between levels of adherence to the MD and respiratory/allergic morbidity were studied using multivariable logistic and linear regression models adjusted for potential confounders. A total of 975 children were included in the present study, 35.6% with low adherence to the MD, 55.7% with moderate adherence and 8.7% with high adherence according to the KIDMED index. High family socioeconomic status, any breastfeeding at 6months and consumption of organic food were associated with higher adherence to the MD. Compared with low adherence, high adherence was associated with lower risk of asthma and sensitization at 8years, as well as higher FEV1 and FVC. This study suggests a protective effect of high adherence to the MD on allergic and respiratory morbidity at school age. These results need to be confirmed by further longitudinal analyses. A healthy diet may prevent allergic and respiratory morbidity in school-aged children.