Burger Diet Boosts Kids’ Asthma and Wheeze Risk

A large international study has found that eating three or more burgers a week may increase the risk of a child developing asthma.  Conversely, a Mediterranean diet rich in fruit, vegetables and fish seems to stave off the risk.

Fruit and vegetables are rich in antioxidant vitamins and biologically active agents, while the omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids found in fish have anti-inflammatory properties, so there are biologically plausible links for the findings as asthma is an inflammatory condition.

Burgers tend to be high in saturated fat (which is inflammatory). Not only that but the way they are cooked – flame-grilled or fried – increases the amount of free radicals they generate once in the digestive tract.

Allowing your kids a treat once a week is a good idea as long as you ensure that the majority of their diet is based around fruit, vegetables and lean proteins (such as chicken breast and fish).