• Alfonso M Cepeda, Stefano R Del Giacco, Sara Villalba, Elmy Tapias, Rodolfo Jaller, Ana María Segura, Gloria Reyes, James Potts, and Vanessa Garcia-Larsen.
• Fundación Hospital Universitario Metropolitano de Barranquilla, Barranquilla KRA 42F No. 75B-18, Colombia. alerlab@yahoo.es.
• Nutrients. 2015 Jun 25; 7 (7): 5098-110.

BackgroundDiet might influence the risk of allergic diseases. Evidence from developing countries with high prevalence of childhood asthma is scant.MethodsInformation on wheeze, rhinitis, and eczema was collected from 3209 children aged 6-7 years in 2005, who were taking part in the International Study on Asthma and Allergy in Children (ISAAC) in Colombia. Intake frequency of twelve food groups was assessed. Associations between each food group and current wheeze, rhino-conjunctivitis, and eczema were investigated with multiple logistic regressions, adjusting for potential confounders. Simes' procedure was used to test for multiple comparisons.Results14.9% of children reported wheeze in the last 12 months, 16% rhino-conjunctivitis, and 22% eczema. Eczema was negatively associated with consumption of fresh fruits and pulses three or more times per week (adjusted Odds ratio (aOR): 0.64; 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.49 to 0.83; p value = 0.004; and aOR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.47 to 0.80; p value < 0.001, respectively). Current wheeze was negatively associated with intake of potatoes (aOR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.31 to 0.62, p value = 0.005), whilst this outcome was positively associated with consumption of fast food (aOR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.32 to 2.35, p value = 0.001). These associations remained statistically significant after controlling for multiple comparisons.ConclusionsA traditional diet might have a protective effect against eczema and wheeze in Colombian children, whilst intake of fast foods increases this risk.

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