A recently conducted study by researchers in Taiwan has reported that children who are exposed to burning incense on a regular basis at home are at an increased risk of developing asthma. The experts have further opined that a particular gene in people is responsible for the condition.

Incense is known to be used by many cultures around the world. It is especially used in spiritual and religious ceremonies. People living in Asia are known to burn incense on a daily basis, with an increasing number of people using it at homes in Western countries as well.

The research was led Yungling Leo Lee from the National Taiwan University, who had discovered that in a middle school of 3,800 children. The number of children suffering from asthma accounted for the 3% of the population, while 5% were suffering from wheezing during exercise.

The study that has appeared in the publication European Respiratory Journal has also informed that children at whose homes incense was burnt regularly were at 36% increased risk of suffering from asthma. It was also reported that such children were at a 64% greater risk of developing wheezing.

It was also found that 48% of the children suffering from the conditions did not carry the GST1 genes, which is known to protect body cells from damage cause by cigarette smoke.