Positive association between dietary total sugar intake and eosinophil counts in asthmatic children and adolescents in the United States: a cross-sectional study.

Abstract

Background: There is not enough data currently available to determine a correlation between eosinophil count and total sugar intake in the diet.

Objective: To clarify the relationship between eosinophil levels and overall sugar intake in the diet.

Methods: A cross-sectional study that involved 2013 people used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2011 to 2020. The relationship between total sugar intake and eosinophil count was investigated using multiple linear regression models. The linear relationship between the two was tested using a restricted cubic spline. Stratified analysis further confirms the stability of the findings.

Results: With a mean age of 11.6 ± 4.8 years and 56.5% male participation, all 2013 eligible participants were included. The fully adjusted model indicated a positive correlation between total dietary sugar intake and eosinophil counts (β = 0.41; 95% CI: 0.15 to 0.68; p = 0.002), as determined by multivariable linear regression adjusted for risk variables. A multiple regression model using three quartiles of the total amount of sugar consumed did not change the significance of this outcome. Moreover, by limiting the triple spline, a linear relationship (p = 0.089) was discovered between the overall amount of sugar consumed and the eosinophil count. Subgroup analysis revealed an identical pattern of connection (p-values for all interactions were larger than 0.05).

Conclusion: In U.S. children and adolescents with asthma, total dietary sugar intake was positively correlated with eosinophil levels. The findings are significant.