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Carotenoids, fatty acids and disease burden in obese minority adolescents with asthma
Author(s) -
Tobias Toni A. M.,
Wood Lisa G.,
Rastogi Deepa
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
clinical and experimental allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.462
H-Index - 154
eISSN - 1365-2222
pISSN - 0954-7894
DOI - 10.1111/cea.13391
Subject(s) - medicine , asthma , dyslipidemia , obesity , insulin resistance , polyunsaturated fatty acid , pulmonary function testing , carotenoid , diabetes mellitus , endocrinology , fatty acid , biology , food science , biochemistry
Background Paediatric obesity‐related asthma causes high disease burden, is associated with metabolic abnormalities, has few therapeutic options, and disproportionately affects urban minority children. Although poor diet quality is linked to asthma, the association of nutritional status with disease burden among children with obesity‐related asthma is not well understood. Objective To quantify nutritional status, defined as concentrations of serum carotenoids and n‐3 fatty acids, and its association with pulmonary function and metabolic markers among obese asthmatic children. Methods We quantified serum carotenoids and fatty acids in a study cohort of 158 urban minority adolescents including 39 obese asthmatics, 39 healthy weight asthmatics, 38 obese controls and 42 healthy weight controls and compared between the groups. We correlated carotenoid and fatty acid levels with pulmonary function indices and with insulin resistance and dyslipidemia. Results Mean total carotenoids were lowest in obese asthmatic children (0.41 μg/mL), lower than healthy weight asthmatics (0.52 μg/mL, P < 0.05) and healthy weight controls (0.60 μg/mL, P < 0.001). n‐6/n‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) ratio also differed between the groups ( P < 0.05). Total carotenoids positively correlated with per cent‐predicted FEV 1 and inversely correlated with insulin resistance among obese asthmatics only. n‐6/n‐3 PUFA ratio inversely correlated with per cent‐predicted FEV 1 in obese asthmatics. Conclusions & Clinical Relevance Our findings suggest that carotenoids, which are lowest in obese asthmatic children, may have protective effects on metabolic health and pulmonary function among obese asthmatic children. Similarly, n‐3 PUFA appear to be protective for pulmonary function.