Asthma and Diet

Scientific evaluation has not conclusively linked asthma and diet. However, for a small number of people, food allergies have come under consideration as a trigger for the onset of an asthma attack. Other evidence links obesity as a contributor to the growing number of asthma cases. In these situations, food may not be the instant trigger, but the result of poor dietary habits leading to obesity may be the link between asthma and diet.

Food Allergies, Asthma and Diet

First, let’s look at how food allergies are linked to asthma and diet. Asthma is a common disorder in which chronic inflammation makes bronchial tubes swell resulting in a narrowing of the airways. Not everyone with food allergies has asthma, but food allergies may trigger asthma attacks in some people. The most common foods identified as allergens include:

• Milk
• Eggs
• Peanuts
• Soy
• Wheat
• Fish and shellfish

Food Additives

In some cases, asthma is triggered by food additives like sulfites. If manufacturers use sulfites as a preservative, they will be listed on the food label. However, sulfites and sulfating agents may be naturally occurring or utilized in processing foods like:

• dried fruits or vegetables
• packaged and prepared potatoes
• beer
• wine
• bottled lime juice
• bottled lemon juice
• fresh, frozen or prepared shrimp
• pickled foods

Food dyes and colorings like tartrazine, preservatives like benzoates, BHT and BHA, flavor enhancers like monosodium glutamate (MSG), and sweeteners like aspartame have also been suspected asthma triggers.

To avoid food-induced asthma attacks, eliminate the triggering food and food ingredients or additives from your diet. For severe allergies, you may even have to clear these foods and food products from your environment because these substances can be released into the air and still cause an asthmatic reaction. Work with your physician to develop a plan of action in the case of an asthma attack. The best prevention is to be prepared.

Asthma and Diet

We’ve looked at how foods can trigger asthma attacks, but let’s also look at how science links asthma with lifestyle and diet. Some studies claim obesity is a risk factor for asthma stating that nearly 75 percent of emergency room visits for asthma attacks are among obese individuals and that obesity pre-dates the onset of asthma. Yet, these same studies conflict as to how obesity induces asthma.

Some specialists say that being overweight increases misdiagnoses of asthma. The premise for their view is that shortness of breath or wheezing is the result of obesity, not asthma.

Either way, eating a healthy diet to lose weight helps reduce asthmatic symptoms. Obese asthmatics show better lung function with weight loss.

Controlling Asthma Through Diet

Improved lung performance in obese people shows a link between asthma and diet as weight loss helps reduce asthma symptoms. Another diet related change to help relieve asthmatic symptoms is the addition of natural anti-inflammatory foods. Certain components of these particular foods have been shown to reduce clotting and inflammation in the body. Natural anti-inflammatory agents and anti-histamines include:

Asthma and Diet for Kids

The September 2000 issue of Thorax considered demographics and skin test results of children without asthma. Conclusions state that children incorporating more vegetables and fiber along with nutrients like vitamin E, calcium and magnesium actually lower the risk of developing asthma. With that in mind, changing children’s diets may reduce the risk of developing asthma. The opposite may also be true as children who eat more fast food are more likely to wheeze. Either way you look at it, asthma and diet are linked.