Fast food linked to higher severity of ailments in children

Fast food is already notorious for contributing to the epidemic of obesity -- particularly among the…

Fast food is already notorious for contributing to the epidemic of obesity -- particularly among the young. As if you needed another reason to give fast food a quick kiss-off, researchers have found new links between those burgers with fries and some childhood ailments.

For a study published in the medical journal Thorax, researchers studied more than 300,000 teens aged 13 to 14, and more than 180,000 6- to 7-year-olds in an international research project. Their analysis showed that increased weekly servings of fast food were associated with an increased risk of severity for asthma, rhinitis, or inflammation inside the nose, and eczema both for young children and for teens.

The authors note their work is timely, since fast food is getting more popular around the world.

They add that diets with regular portions of fruits and vegetables are likely to protect both children and teens against all three conditions.