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New study shows curbing dust mites won't stop asthma
Efforts to avoid exposure to house dust mites along with dietary changes in the first few years of life do not prevent asthma in children with a family history of the condition, new research shows.
Sensitization to house dust mites, and consumption of diets with low amounts of omega-3 fatty acid (such as found in fish oils) relative to omega-6 fatty acid have been linked to asthma.
In a clinical trial, Dr. Guy B. Marks of the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in New South Wales, Australia, and colleagues assessed whether attempts to modify these factors could prevent asthma and allergic disease in young children.
The study, which is reported in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, involved 616 children. On a random basis they were allocated to receive a diet with an increased omega-3 to -6 fatty acid ratio, measures to avoid exposure to house dust mites, both interventions, or no intervention during the first five years of life. Of these children, 516 were available for evaluation at 5 years of age.
The dust mite avoidance effort involved the use of allergen-impermeable linens and regular washing with an anti-mite detergent.
With the diet intervention, parents were encouraged to prepare their children's meals using canola-based oils and give them tuna oil capsules to boost omega-3 levels.
Although the dust mite avoidance measure reduced bedding allergen levels by 61 percent, it had no effect on the occurrence of asthma or wheeze, Marks and colleagues found.
In fact, eczema -- another allergic condition -- was actually more common in the dust mite avoidance group than in the no-intervention group, at 26 percent vs. 19 percent.
Similarly, while the diet intervention did succeed in increasing the omega-3 to -6 fatty acid ratio, it did not prevent asthma, wheezing or eczema, the results indicate.