Certain dietary fats linked to more severe, hard-to-treat asthma in children

Researchers have found that certain lipids (fats) in obesity-causing foods also cause asthma-like lung inflammation. The findings suggest that in addition to modifying dietary choices, certain existing drugs could be repurposed to help treat this type of asthma. The study was prompted by researchers noticing an association between childhood obesity and neutrophilic asthma, a non-allergic type of asthma triggered by microbial and bacterial proteins. Neutrophilic asthma is more difficult to treat than allergic asthma. To study this in more detail, researchers focused on lung macrophages, which are specialized white blood cells that coordinate immune function during inflammation. While metabolic stress...