Junk food linked to stomach ache

Children who eat lots of fast food are more likely to experience recurrent abdominal pain than others, and this may be severe enough to interfere with school activities. On the other hand, a diet rich in fruits and vegetables seems to be protective. Researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA, created a questionnaire that was completed by 900 students, aged 5 to 15 and their parents. Recurrent abdominal pain occurred in 24 per cent of children, with 60 per cent reporting moderate to severe pain, and nearly half having pain for more than half an hour with each episode. There were no significant differences associated with gender or ethnicity. Further analysis revealed that the biggest factor associated with recurrent abdominal pain was the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, which was protective, and fast food, which directly correlated with recurrent abdominal pain.

After considering factors such as age, gender, race and socio-economic status, which was determined by parental education and income, the risk of recurrent abdominal pain was 2.2 fold higher among children who ate no more than two servings of fruit per week compared with those who ate fruit daily. In contrast, for those who ate fast food daily, the risk was increased 50% over those who ate fast food only once a week.

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