Link ID'd for Introduction of Fish, Childhood Wheeze

MONDAY, Nov. 12 (HealthDay News) -- The introduction of fish between the ages of 6 and 12 months, but not consumption afterward, correlates with a reduction in the risk of wheezing in children at age 48 months, according to a study published online Nov. 12 in Pediatrics.

Jessica C. Kiefte-de Jong, R.D., Ph.D., from Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and colleagues assessed the association of asthma-like symptoms in preschool age children (36 and 48 months) with the timing of introduction of fish to infants (assessed at 12 and 14 months of age). Semiquantitative food frequency questionnaires were used to assess fish consumption.

The researchers found that introduction of fish between age 6 and 12 months correlated significantly with a reduced risk of wheezing at 48 months (odds ratio [OR], 0.64), compared with no introduction during the first year. No introduction in the first year and introduction between 0 and 6 months correlated with significantly increased risk of wheezing at 48 months (OR, 1.57 and 1.53, respectively), compared with introduction between 6 and 12 months of age. There was no correlation between the amount of fish consumed at age 14 months and asthma-like symptoms.

"Introduction of fish between 6 and 12 months but not fish consumption afterward is associated with a lower prevalence of wheezing," the authors write. "A window of exposure between the age of 6 and 12 months might exist in which fish might be associated with a reduced risk of asthma."

One author disclosed financial ties to Pfizer Nutrition.

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