DIET AND OBESITY AS ENVIRONMENTAL RISK FACTORS FOR ASTHMA

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Diet as an environmental risk factor for asthma has been proposed based on the observation that the rising prevalence of asthma coincided with a marked change in typical American diets characteristic of decreased consumption of fresh fruits, green vegetables and increased consumption of high-fat, high-calorie foods. Changes in diet, less physical activities and a more a sedentary lifestyle have lead to more obesity. The increase in the prevalence of asthma and obesity, combined with the findings that asthmatic individuals tend to weigh more than those without asthma, and that overweight is associated with an increased occurrence of wheezing and asthma, led to the idea that obesity may represent another environmental risk factor for asthma. With the COAST study, which is designed to identify origins of childhood asthma, we have a unique opportunity to examine the contributions of diet and obesity to asthma from birth to 7 years. Specific aims are: (1) to determine the associations between diet, including feeding methods (i.e., breast feeding and food avoidance) and specific nutrients (i.e., macronutrients, antioxidant vitamins, sodium and polyunsaturated fatty acids) and the development of asthmatic phenotype; (2) to determine associations between obesity and the development of asthma.