Healthy Foods Help Ease Asthma Symptoms

TAIPEI, TaiwanProbiotics, fish oil, and fruit and vegetable concentrate may help ease respiratory problems in asthmatic children, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Observational studies have found negative associations between fruit, vegetable and fish consumption and risk of asthma. Experimental studies also have shown that probiotics can modulate the immune system; however, each dietary component exhibits a modest effect. Researchers from the National Taiwan University investigated the joint effect of multiple beneficial dietary components on asthma.

For the 16-week school-based double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial, the supplement group received fruit plus vegetable concentrate, fish oil and probiotics, while the control group received placebos. A total of 192 asthmatic children aged 10 to 12 years were recruited from elementary schools in metropolitan Taipei.

After eight and 16 weeks, compared with the placebo group, the supplement group showed significant improvement in pulmonary function parameters including capacity, volume and volume to capacity ratio. The children who took supplement used fewer short-acting inhaled bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids.

However, the Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) score and the Childhood Asthma Control Test score were not significantly different between the two groups, possibly because the majority of the children were treated routinely.

The researchers concluded that the present study supports an adjuvant intervention with a combination of fruit, vegetable, fish and probiotic foods.

A recent study published in Panminerva Medica found the natural supplement Pycnogenol®an antioxidant plant extract from the bark of the French maritime pine treeimproved control of allergic asthma, while also reducing night awakening caused by asthma by nearly 50%. Patients who used Pycnogenol also experienced a reduced dependence on inhalation devices and required less visits to a doctor due to asthma. A study published in the in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology found adding vitamin D to a prescribed asthma treatment may have anti-inflammatory effects and help improve asthma control.