Allergies linked to increased consumption of junk food, suggests new study

According to a new study, many food allergies in children could be due to junk food. Children with food allergies and children who eat a lot of junk food have an increase in the rate of molecules in their bodies called advanced glycation products (AGEs).

EFAs are proteins or fats found in foods that react with sugars to become glycated. They are therefore abundant in processed foods containing sugar and fats such as bacon, cakes, pizzas and hamburgers. Microwave foods, as well as barbecued or roasted meat, are also rich in AGE.

The role of EFAs in the development of food allergy. CREDIT: ESPGHAN

A new study by researchers from Federico II, of the University of Naples, examined the level of AGE in tissues located just under the skin, in a group of 61 children aged 6 to 12 years . These children were initially clbadified into three groups: healthy controls, those with food allergies and those with respiratory allergies. Their food was monitored for seven days by food diaries kept by the parents.

The researchers found that children with food allergies consumed an average of about 20% to 40% more junk food compared to the other two groups, including those with respiratory allergies. There was also a significant badociation between age level and junk food consumption.

In the United Kingdom, 7% of children have food allergies and 3% of adults. The number is increasing, especially among young children, even if the reasons are not clear. In 2016-2017, for example, the number of food allergies causing anaphylactic shock, a life-threatening allergic reaction, increased from 1,400 to nearly 2,000 cases. Pollution and excessive hygiene preventing the required contact between microbial and immune cells may be factors in this situation.

This research suggests that an increase in the number of AGEs related to junk food also contributes to this trend, due to the parallel increase in food allergy and dietary consumption. highly processed foods.

In fact, in Europe, people consume up to half of their daily energy intake of highly processed foods. This could mean that eating a lot of junk food has significantly contributed to the increase of food allergies in children. " [Children] eat a lot of snacks, a lot of burgers, a lot of fries, a lot of commercial foods full of Ages, "said Roberto Berni Canani, senior investigator.

Canini commented: "To date, the existing hypotheses and models of food allergy do not sufficiently explain the dramatic increase observed in recent years – food EFAs could therefore be the missing link. Our study certainly supports this hypothesis, we now need additional research to confirm it. If this link is confirmed, national governments will have greater incentives to strengthen public health interventions to limit junk food consumption among children.

The researchers also found some indications that EFAs could be directly toxic to immune cells and disrupt the intestinal mucosal barrier, allowing toxins and allergens to come into contact with deeper body tissues.

However, they do not exclude the effect of many other factors, including abnormalities of intestinal bacterial populations. Other experts suggest that children who eat more junk food probably do not eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, nor fish, which is likely to reduce the risk of allergy. High junk food consumption may also be related to a higher risk of living in a polluted area and other lifestyle factors common to this group.

If current research confirms current findings, it will be up to the public health authorities to discourage the consumption of junk food among children. At present, we do not know the AGE level in most of the foods we eat. Many industrial processes used for the preparation of fast foods are harmful to our health. At the same time, the current study is too small to draw definitive conclusions, but it presents some interesting hypotheses that must be explored by larger populations and by different types of people.

The study was presented at the 52nd Annual Meeting of the European Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN).