Epidemiological studies have shown several associations between asthma
symptoms and dietary factors. The aim of this work was to evaluate the
relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet and childhood
asthma. A cross-sectional analysis was performed on 700 children (323
boys), 10-12 yr old, selected from 18 schools located in Athens greater
area. Children and their parents completed questionnaires, which
evaluated, among others, dietary habits. Asthma was defined according to
ISAAC II criteria. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was evaluated
using the KIDMED score (theoretical range 0-12). Higher KIDMED score
corresponds to greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet. Greater
adherence to the Mediterranean diet was inversely associated with ever
had wheeze (p = 0.001), exercise wheeze (p = 0.004), ever had diagnosed
asthma (p = 0.002) and with any asthma symptoms (p < 0.001). One-unit
increase in the KIDMED score was associated with 14% lower likelihood
of having asthma symptoms (odds ratio = 0.86, 95% confidence interval
0.75-0.98), after adjusting for various confounders. No significant
associations were found between asthma symptoms and consumption of
fruits (p = 0.25), vegetables (p = 0.97), legumes (p = 0.76), cereals (p
= 0.71), dairy (p = 0.61), salty snacks (p = 0.53), or margarine/butter
(p = 0.42) consumption, while increased fish and meat intake was
associated with less asthma symptoms (p = 0.04 and p = 0.01,
respectively). Our findings suggest an inverse relationship between
level of adherence to the Mediterranean diet and prevalence of asthma in
school-aged children