Fueling Childhood Asthma?

By Dr. Sean Wells, DPT, PT, OCS, ATC/L, CSCS, NSCA-CPT, CNPT, Cert-DN

Often in nutrition we consider what our patients are eating but don't consistently think about how that food is cooked. We know from copious research, presented in our courses, certain cooking methods can increase the risk of cancers, increase advanced glycation end products (AGEs), and promote cardiovascular disease. As physical therapists we treat many patients with heart disease, cancer, and conditions that are worsened by AGEs (e.g. arthritis and diabetes). Needless to say cooking methods matter and a recent study highlights the risk of using gas stoves in the development of asthma for children.

We've known for some time that ventilation is very important when cooking foods with heat and fats. Polycyclic amino acids (PAH) and other inhaled organic byproducts of grilling/cooking can promote certain lung diseases and even lung cancer. Why do you think many restaurants have ventilation o...