Researchers find certain dietary fats may trigger severe, treatment-resistant asthma in children.
New research points to a connection between the dietary fats children eat and a form of asthma that is often hard to manage. Scientists at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia looked at the role of certain fats in food and how they may trigger lung inflammation that looks like asthma. The study, published in Science Translational Medicine, suggests that not all asthma cases are the same and that what’s on the plate could matter more than previously thought.
Doctors have known for a while that asthma is common in kids, but there are different types of the disease. One type, called neutrophilic asthma, does not happen because of allergies. Instead, it is linked to proteins from bacteria or other microbes. This type of asthma can be more serious and harder to treat. It is also more likely to put children in the hospital. Until now, the cause of this type has been unclear.
Researchers started the study because they noticed that children with obesity often have neutrophilic asthma. At first, extra weight was thought to be the main cause. But doctors began seeing this type of asthma in kids who were not overweight. That raised a question: could something in the diet be playing a role?
The team focused on a group of immune cells in the lungs called macrophages. These cells are like the body’s cleanup crew, but they also help control inflammation. When the body is under stress, the way these cells work can change. The researchers wanted to see if certain foods might affect these cells and make lung inflammation worse.
They ran tests on animals first. The results showed that when animals ate a diet high in dietary fats, lung macrophages soaked up a fatty acid called stearic acid. This fat is common in animal products and many processed foods. When that happened, the lungs showed more swelling and irritation, even though the animals did not gain weight. That means the fat itself, not obesity, could be the trigger.
The study also found that not all fats act the same. Another fatty acid, called oleic acid, which is often found in olive oil, actually calmed down the inflammation. This shows that the type of fat in food matters for lung health.
The researchers then looked at kids. They checked obese children who had asthma and found similar signs of how these fats were affecting the lungs. The team also tested ways to block the chain reaction inside the lungs. They found that blocking a protein called IL-1β or stopping another protein, IRE1α, reduced the swelling caused by stearic acid. These proteins are already known to be involved in this type of asthma, so medicines that act on them could be helpful.
Experts say this discovery is important because it gives doctors new ideas for treatment. It suggests that food choices could play a part in preventing or easing this type of asthma, and some existing drugs might be used in new ways.
While more research is needed, the message is clear: not all fats are equal, and some could make breathing problems worse for children who are at risk. Parents and doctors may need to think about diet as part of asthma care, especially when symptoms are tough to control with regular medicine.
This research was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and other organizations. The team hopes the findings will lead to better care plans for kids who struggle with this challenging form of asthma.
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Certain dietary fats found to trigger hard-to-treat asthma in children
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