Nutritional factors, parasite infection and allergy in rural and suburban Vietnamese school children

The Role of Vitamins in the Pathogenesis of Asthma

Vitamins play a crucial role in the proper functioning of organisms. Disturbances of their levels, seen as deficiency or excess, enhance the development of various diseases, including those of the cardiovascular, immune, or respiratory systems. The present paper aims to summarize the role of vitamins in one of the most common diseases of the respiratory system, asthma. This narrative review describes the influence of vitamins on asthma and its main symptoms such as bronchial hyperreactivity, airway inflammation, oxidative stress, and airway remodeling, as well as the correlation between vitamin intake and levels and the risk of asthma in both pre- and postnatal life.

Asthma, allergy, and responses to methyl donor supplements and nutrients

After a brief period of stabilization, recent data have shown that the prevalence of asthma and allergic diseases continues to increase. Atopic diseases are major public health problems resulting in significant disability and resource use globally. Although environmental factors influence the development of atopic disease, dietary changes might partially explain the high burden of atopic disease. Potential mechanisms through which diet is suspected to effect asthma and allergy susceptibility are through epigenetic changes, including DNA methylation. Dietary methyl donors are important in the one-carbon metabolic pathway that is essential for DNA methylation. Findings from both observational studies and interventional trials of dietary methyl donor supplementation on the development and treatment of asthma and allergy have produced mixed results. Although issues related to the differences in study design partially explain the heterogeneous results, 2 other issues have been largely overlooked in these studies. First, these nutrients affect one of many pathways and occur in many of the same foods. Second, it is now becoming clear that the human intestinal microbiome is involved in the metabolism and production of the B vitamins and other methyl donor nutrients. Future studies will need to account for both the interrelationships between these nutrients and the effects of the microbiome.

Nutritional status, intestinal parasite infection and allergy among school children in northwest Ethiopia

BACKGROUND

Parasitic infections have been shown to have deleterious effects on host nutritional status. In addition, although helmintic infection can modulate the host inflammatory response directed against the parasite, a causal association between helminths and allergy remains uncertain. The present study was therefore designed to evaluate the relationship between nutritional status, parasite infection and prevalence of allergy among school children.

METHODS

A cross sectional study was performed involving school children in two elementary schools in Gondar, Ethiopia. Nutritional status of these children was determined using anthropometric parameters (weight-for-age, height-for-age and BMI-for-age). Epi-Info software was used to calculate z-scores. Stool samples were examined using standard parasitological procedures. The serum IgE levels were quantified by total IgE ELISA kit following the manufacturer's instruction.

RESULT

A total of 405 children (with mean age of 12.09.1 ± 2.54 years) completed a self-administered allergy questionnaire and provided stool samples for analysis. Overall prevalence of underweight, stunting and thinness/wasting was 15.1%, 25.2%, 8.9%, respectively. Of the total, 22.7% were found to be positive for intestinal parasites. The most prevalent intestinal parasite detected was Ascaris lumbricoides (31/405, 7.6%). There was no statistically significant association between prevalence of malnutrition and the prevalence of parasitic infections. Median total serum IgE level was 344 IU/ml (IQR 117-2076, n=80) and 610 IU/ml (143-1833, n=20), respectively, in children without and with intestinal parasite infection (Z=-0.198, P>0.8). The prevalence of self reported allergy among the subset was 8%. IgE concentration was not associated either with the presence of parasitic infection or history of allergy.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence of malnutrition, intestinal parasitism and allergy was not negligible in this population. In addition, there was no significant association between the prevalence of allergy and their nutritional status, and parasite infection. Further research prospective observational and intervention studies are required to address the question of causality between nutritional factors, parasites, and allergy.

Demographic predictors of peanut, tree nut, fish, shellfish, and sesame allergy in Canada

Background. Studies suggest that the rising prevalence of food allergy during recent decades may have stabilized. Although genetics undoubtedly contribute to the emergence of food allergy, it is likely that other factors play a crucial role in mediating such short-term changes. Objective. To identify potential demographic predictors of food allergies. Methods. We performed a cross-Canada, random telephone survey. Criteria for food allergy were self-report of convincing symptoms and/or physician diagnosis of allergy. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to assess potential determinants. Results. Of 10,596 households surveyed in 2008/2009, 3666 responded, representing 9667 individuals. Peanut, tree nut, and sesame allergy were more common in children (odds ratio (OR) 2.24 (95% CI, 1.40, 3.59), 1.73 (95% CI, 1.11, 2.68), and 5.63 (95% CI, 1.39, 22.87), resp.) while fish and shellfish allergy were less common in children (OR 0.17 (95% CI, 0.04, 0.72) and 0.29 (95% CI, 0.14, 0.61)). Tree nut and shellfish allergy were less common in males (OR 0.55 (95% CI, 0.36, 0.83) and 0.63 (95% CI, 0.43, 0.91)). Shellfish allergy was more common in urban settings (OR 1.55 (95% CI, 1.04, 2.31)). There was a trend for most food allergies to be more prevalent in the more educated (tree nut OR 1.90 (95% CI, 1.18, 3.04)) and less prevalent in immigrants (shellfish OR 0.49 (95% CI, 0.26, 0.95)), but wide CIs preclude definitive conclusions for most foods. Conclusions. Our results reveal that in addition to age and sex, place of residence, socioeconomic status, and birth place may influence the development of food allergy.

Obesity is associated with increased risk of allergy in Vietnamese adolescents

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of allergic diseases has remarkably increased in the last decades in tandem with the number of obese individuals. Results of studies on obesity and allergic diseases are controversial, and most of them are related to asthma and asthma-like symptoms.

OBJECTIVE

In our study, we evaluated the association of several obesity indices and the prevalence of allergic diseases, including bronchial asthma, allergic rhino-conjunctivitis, atopic dermatitis and food allergy.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

RESULTS

From a total of 1185 adolescents (49.3% boys) aged 12 to 17 y old, 19.3% reported a physician-diagnosed allergic disease, and 35.3% reported undiagnosed allergic symptoms. Logistic regression analysis revealed a higher risk of allergy in children of middle (OR = 2.02, CI: 1.12-3.64) and high (OR = 2.40, CI: 1.25-4.61) compared to low socioeconomic status, in subjects reporting industrial emissions in the neighborhood (OR = 2.19, CI: 1.40-3.41), and in adolescents with parental history of allergy (OR = 1.92, CI: 1.26-2.92). Body mass index (BMI) and percentage of body fat (%BF) were significantly related to allergy (OR = 1.16, CI: 1.01-1.34 for BMI; OR = 1.03, CI: 1.01-1.06 for %BF). After controlling for socioeconomic status, industrial emissions and parental history of allergy, only %BF remained statistically significant (OR = 1.03, CI: 1.01-1.06). Food allergy was not related to obesity in our study population, and when adolescents with food allergy were excluded from the analysis, the odds of having allergy increased 28% with each increase in SD of BMI (OR = 1.28, CI: 1.05-1.57) and 5% for each unit increase in the percentage of body fat (OR = 1.05, CI: 1.01-1.08).

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, being overweight was associated with an increased risk of allergy in our study population. Our results point towards an association between being overweight and rhino-conjunctivitis, but not food allergy. No association was observed with other allergic diseases.