About 23 million Americans have the wheezing and coughing of asthma—up 60% since the early 1980s. Some experts say diet can help fight asthma's inflammation. Here are research-based tips:
Eat a Mediterranean diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fish, olive oil, whole grains and legumes, and low in meat. A new Portuguese study finds that adults who ate this way cut their risk of asthma by 78%. And a high-fruit diet slashed the odds of non-controlled asthma by 71%. Kids who eat a Mediterranean diet, especially lots of oranges, apples, tomatoes and grapes, have less wheezing, allergic rhinitis and asthma, Greek research shows.
Don't be overweight or obese. If you are, your odds of developing asthma jump 50%, according to a recent review of 330,000 subjects by researchers at Denver's National Jewish Health center. They estimate that excess weight accounts for 250,000 new cases of adult asthma a year. Obesity also ups children's risk of asthma.
Eat good fats. Omega-3 oil, high in fatty fish (sardines, salmon, tuna) is a potent anti-inflammatory. A major European study found that adults who ate fish at least once a week had fewer asthma symptoms. (Eating more fish did not reduce symptoms further.) And those who never ate fish as children were more apt to develop asthma and at an earlier age. High doses of fish oil (5 g daily) helped prevent exercise-induced asthma symptoms in an Indiana University study. Beware of high amounts of omega-6 polyunsaturated fats (in corn, soybean, regular safflower and sunflower oils, and in meat and many processed foods). They induce inflammation and promote asthma.
Don't count on low sodium to prevent asthma. A new British study shows that subjects who restricted sodium intake for six weeks had just as many asthma symptoms as those on normal diets. Previous studies had suggested that low sodium might help with asthma prevention.
Eat right when pregnant. Dutch research shows that pregnant women who eat nuts or nut products like peanut butter every day up their children's odds of developing asthma by nearly 50%.
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