Diet and airway obstruction: a cross sectional study from the second Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
OBJECTIVE
Several dietary factors, such as antioxidant vitamins, have potential roles in the development of obstructive lung diseases. However, the results of studies on the relationships between dietary factors and obstructive lung diseases are inconsistent. The aim of this study was to determine which nutrients are related to airway obstruction (AO) in the Korean population.


METHODS
We used data obtained as part of the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II) in 2001. Analysis was restricted to 1,005 adults who were 18 years of age and older, who had two or more acceptable spirometry curves, and who had participated in the nutrition examination survey. AO was defined as the ratio of forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) to forced vital capacity (FVC) of less than 0.7.


RESULTS
Of the 1,005 study subjects, 78 (7.8%) had AO. Statistically significant factors associated with AO were 55 years of age or older (p = 0.032), central obesity (p = 0.047), hypertension (p < 0.001), smoking of 20 pack-years or more (p < 0.001), low income (p < 0.001), and low dietary protein intake expressed as a ratio of protein to recommended dietary allowance for Koreans (p = 0.037). Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed four factors that were independently associated with AO: smoking of 20 pack-years or more (odds ratio [OR], 5.801; p < 0.001), hypertension (OR, 3.905; p < 0.001), low protein intake (OR, 0.992; p = 0.004), and low income (OR, 1.962; p = 0.018).


CONCLUSIONS
In the Korean NHANES, smoking, hypertension, and low income were related to AO. Among dietary factors, only low protein intake was associated with AO.
Department of Internal Medicine, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Jin Hwa
JH
Lee
Yun Su
YS
Sim
Gee Young
GY
Suh
Jeong-Seon
JS
Ryu
Dong Ho
DH
Shin
Kyung Haeng
KH
Koh
Yeon Jae
YJ
Kim
Wan
W
Park
Hyoung Kyu
HK
Yoon
Man Jae
MJ
Lee
Jung Hyun
JH
Chang
D000328:Adult; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000453:epidemiology*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008903:Minerals / Q000008:administration & dosage; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013147:Spirometry; D014797:Vital Capacity; D014815:Vitamins / Q000008:administration & dosage
D000975:Antioxidants; D004044:Dietary Proteins; D008903:Minerals; D014815:Vitamins