Teen diets can hurt their lungs

For most teenagers in the United States and Canada, fish and fruit are not high on their delicious list. Also, many of them — about 20 percent of those under 18 — cough, wheeze, and suffer from asthma and bronchitis. Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have found a connection between these two situations.

A study of more than 2,100 high school seniors found that those who eat the least fruit and fish have the weakest lungs.

“Most of the adolescents in our study had dietary intakes of fruit, vegetables, vitamin E, and omega-3 fatty acids below recommended daily levels,” notes Jane Burns, a research fellow at HSPH. (Omega-3 fatty acids are plentiful in fish.) “These low intakes were associated with lower lung function and increased odds of asthma and chronic bronchitis.”