Breath easy, eat well

Asthma is one of the world’s most common diseases. It affects as many as thirty million people. Projects show that the number could increase to 100 million in the next fifteen years. Researchers are looking for the cause including environmental, lifestyle and now diet.

Two studies published in February link asthma and nutrition. Both studies appear in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Investigators in one study reviewed three possibilities: a change in antioxidant intake, an increase in the ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acid consumption and changing vitamin D levels. So far no one has suggested dietary supplements in addition to traditional asthma therapies, but these studies are starting to point in that direction. There could also be some indicators for pregnant women to alter their diets in order to lessen changes of asthma in their children.

More study is needed. “If shown to be efficacious, such a dietary intervention could be the basis fro a low cost, safe public health intervention to rapidly reduce the prevalence of asthma in children and ultimately adults, with obvious beneficial consequences for the well-being of individuals and society as a whole,” said Graham Devereux, MD, PhD. But the evidence is not there yet to suggest adding these supplements to treat asthma.

The other study looked at diet and sedentary lifestyle in children as it related to asthma. Do gamers have trouble breathing? Their results were mixed although they did note that children who consumed a so-called Mediterranean diet were less likely to have asthma symptoms.

Source: Elsevier Health Sciences, ScienceDaily