Rhinitis, sinusitis, and upper airway diseaseFish and polyunsaturated fat intake and development of allergic and nonallergic rhinitis

BackgroundRhinitis is one of the most common diseases in childhood. Fish, polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), and vitamin D intakes have been hypothesized to affect the risk of allergic disease; however, it is unclear whether these are linked to the development of rhinitis.ObjectiveWe sought to assess potential associations between consumption of fish, dietary n-3 and n-6 PUFAs, and vitamin D at age 8 years and development of allergic rhinitis (AR) and nonallergic rhinitis (NAR) between the ages of 8 and 16 years.MethodsWe included 1970 participants from a birth cohort. Data on dietary intake was obtained from a food frequency questionnaire at age 8 years. The rhinitis definition was based on questionnaires and IgE measures.ResultsThe prevalence of rhinitis symptoms at age 8 years was 19% (n = 380). Among the 1590 children without rhinitis symptoms at age 8 years, 21% (n = 337) had AR between ages 8 and 16 years, and 15% (n = 236) had NAR. Regular intake of oily fish and higher long-chain n-3 PUFA intake were associated with a reduced risk of cumulative incidence of NAR (adjusted odds ratio, 0.52 [95% CI, 0.32-0.87] for oily fish; odds ratio, 0.45 [95% CI, 0.30-0.67] for highest vs lowest tertile of long-chain n-3 PUFAs; P trend < .001). The results for rhinitis, irrespective of AR and NAR, were in line with the findings for NAR.ConclusionRegular consumption of oily fish and dietary long-chain n-3 PUFAs in childhood might decrease the risk of rhinitis, especially NAR, between the ages of 8 and 16 years.