Drinking Sugary Drinks During Pregnancy May Increase Risk of Asthma in Kids

A new study, published in the journal Annals of the American Thoracic Society, finds a possible link between consumption of sugary drinks during pregnancy and the risk of asthma in children. The study also shows that children between the ages of seven and nine may be at greater risk of developing asthma if their mothers drank a lot of sugar-sweetened beverages during their pregnancy. 

According to Sheryl L Rifas-Shiman, from the Harvard Medical School in the United States, 
"Previous studies have linked intake of high fructose corn syrup sweetened beverages with asthma in children, but there is little information about when during early development exposure to fructose might influence later health."

For the study, a group of mothers completed detailed questionnaires about their food and beverage consumption, including regular soda and fruit drinks after their first and second trimesters. When their children reached early childhood (3.3 years), the mothers completed another questionnaire to report their children's consumption of a variety of foods and beverages, including regular sodas and fruit drinks.

Based on these responses, the researchers computed the fructose intake and analysed results based on quartiles of sugar-sweetened beverage and fructose consumption. The study found that in mid-childhood, 19 percent of the children had asthma. According to the findings, mothers in the highest quartile of sugar-sweetened beverage and fructose consumption during pregnancy were 63 percent and 61 percent more likely to have mid-childhood-age kids with asthma.

Rifas-Shiman concluded,  "Avoiding high intake of sugary beverages during pregnancy and in early childhood could be one of several ways to reduce the risk of childhood asthma."

With Inputs from PTI