Wow, another argument to limit TV times for our kids. Prolonged TV times has been linked to childhood obesity, poor performance at school, sleep problems, and increased blood pressure. Now it’s also been linked to asthma and wheezing!  A British study looked at more than 3000 children from birth up to their 11^th birthday. Respiratory health of the children was monitored and the parents were interviewed regarding their children’s TV watching habits and observed symptoms of wheezing.

The results showed that children who spent more than two hours in front of the TV were almost twice as likely to have asthma as those who spent less time watching TV. The gender and the weight of the children didn’t make much of a difference.

It’s not the TV itself that causes the asthma, the researchers explain. It is the time spent in front of the TV that amounts to sedentary behavior. However, the link between physical activity, sedentary behavior and asthma is not that simple and generalizations are hard to make. However, evidence from previous studies suggested that sedentary behavior can induce breathing patterns that in turn trigger developmental changes in the lungs. Physically active children, for example, tend to inhale deeply and regularly, an action that stretches the airways, making them less prone to inflammation.

The study only looked at TV time but not at other sedentary activities such as playing video games or sitting in front of the computer. In addition, it should also be noted that time spent in front of the TV is time spent indoors. Being outdoors and breathing fresh air is another way of preventing respiratory problems in children.

But the message is clear enough. We’ve been wondering why the incidence of asthma has increased dramatically during the last 20 years. We don’t have to look any further than our living room to find out why.

One of the most common breathing problems in kids is wheezing. Pollutants in the air, especially those generated by traffic are linked to wheezing in young children. Read a recent post of a mom`s experience with a child with breathing problems.

Researchers from Denmark found that children born to mothers with asthma are most likely to have wheezing symptoms. Furthermore, these wheezing episodes seemed to be triggered by air pollution, most especially high levels of air-borne particles smaller than 10 micrometer, nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and carbon monoxide. Wheezing is observed 3 to 4 days after exposure in children 1 year or younger.

Nitrogen dioxide and nitrogen oxide, two traffic-related pollutants, are especially of major concern and can trigger wheezing even in older children.

This post is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.

Source:

Medwire News 13 Feb 2008

Andersen et al.Ambient Air Pollution Triggers Wheezing Symptoms in Infants. Thorax. Published Online First: 11 February 2008

A Dutch study published in the British Journal of Nutrition has shown that where pregnant women consumed organic dairy products instead of the non-organic version there was significant reduction in the occurrence of eczema (36%) and of wheezing (11%) in their children by the age of 24 months.

This is part of an ongoing study called the Koala Birth Cohort Study which is comparing the benefits of a consumption of organic products with non-organic.

Organic Dairy Lowers the Risk of Eczema in Early Childhood

Organic Milk Reduces Eczema

Buy Organic Online: The Top Websites