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Mar 18, 2008 8:26 pm US/Mountain
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Study: Sugar Linked To Asthma In Children
DENVER (CBS4) ―
It's been known that sugar has been linked to rising rates of obesity and diabetes in children. Now a new study suggests too many sweets may cause asthma.
Rates of asthma in children have more than doubled since the late 1980s and experts are baffled as to the reason why.
The common thread to all three problems may be sugar. The study involved rats, but seeing what sugar does to the lungs of rats can offer insight into its effect on the lungs of a growing children.
With asthma, health officials believe sugar causes the airways to become inflamed and irritated, clamping down and shutting off the flow of air. In the study, researchers found rats that were fed sugar developed an overactive immune system. The immune system then attacked the lungs, causing an asthma-like condition. Researchers believe this same immune system response can happen in children.
Along with obesity, diabetes and asthma, sugar intake is up over the past few decades. Some sources of sugar are obvious such as candy, cookies, juices and soda. But parents need to be aware sugar masquerades in many forms:
• High fructose corn syrup is the biggest hidden sweet in foods.
• Fruit concentrate carries a high load of sugar.
• Honey, even though natural, is a big source of sugar.
• Foods that end in "ose" -- fructose, dextrose, maltose, and sucrose have sugar.
When reading the labels and generally finding one of those listed as one of the first three ingredients, it's a warning the product has a lot of sugar.
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