Asma, malattie respiratorie e apporto nutrizionale di acidi grassi e olio d'oliva: studio caso controllo in una popolazione italiana

Background. Fat intake has been associated to respiratory diseases, with conflicting results. Objective. To assess the association between respiratory diseases and animal and vegetable fats, monounsaturated (MUFA), saturated (SFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Design Population-based multi-case control study (Genes Environment Interaction in Respiratory Diseases (GEIRD) study) conducted in seven Italian centers. Participants. Subjects aged 20–84 years from the general population. Measurements. Clinical status and nutrient intake information was collected for 962 subjects: 145 with Current Asthma (CA), 77 with Past Asthma (PA), 77 with CB, 301 with Allergic Rhinitis (AR), 164 with Non Allergic Rhinitis (NAR) and 344 Controls. Food intake was collected through the Food Frequency Questionnaire EPIC (European Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition). The associations between fats and respiratory diseases were estimated by means of multinomial or logistic models. The different fats and foods were analyzed both as continuous variables and as quartiles. Results. A negative association between the intake of vegetable fats, MUFA, oleic acid and the risk of CA was found (RRR=0.69; 95%CI: 0.49;0.97 for oleic acid). The same association for MUFA (p=0.028) and oleic acid (p=0.022) against CA was found when they were categorized in quartiles. Olive oil was associated to a reduction of the risk of CA (RRR=0.79; 95%CI: 0.65;0.98). An increased risk of AR was associated with moderate animal fat intake, and an increased risk of NAR was associated with SFA intake. Conclusions. Dietary fats affect the risk of respiratory diseases in adults. High dietary intake of oleic acid and of olive oil are associated to a lower asthma risk.