Study finds link between fast food, allergies

Kids who eat fast food three or more times a week are likely to have more severe allergic reactions, a large new international study suggests.

These include bouts of asthma, eczema and hay fever (rhinitis). The study doesn't prove that burgers, chicken snacks and fries cause the problems, but the evidence of an association is compelling, researchers say.

"The study adds to a growing body of evidence of the possible harms of fast foods," said study co-author Hywel Williams, a professor of dermato-epidemiology at the University of Nottingham, England.

Williams cautioned, however, that fast food might not be the cause. "It could be due to other factors linked to behavior that we have not measured, or . . . to biases that occur in studies that measure disease and ask about previous food intake," he said.

The report was published online Monday by the journal Thorax. -- HealthDay