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May 17, 2010 — People who have asthma should avoid heavy, high-fat meals because it can inflame their airways, a new study says. Such meals appear to inhibit relief provided by the common asthma medication Ventolin, generically known as albuterol, Australian researchers report.
They recruited 40 people with asthma as participants in the study. Some received a high-fat, high-calorie meal of fast food hamburgers and hash browns containing about 1,000 calories, 52% of which was fat; others ate a low-fat, low-calorie meal of reduced fat yogurt, containing about 200 calories and 13% fat.
The scientists collected sputum samples before patients ate and again four hours later after they had eaten, and analyzed the samples for inflammatory markers. People who had eaten the high-fat meal had reduced response to the bronchodilators, compared to people who had eaten fewer calories and less fat.
“This is the first study to show that a high-fat meal increases airway inflammation, so this is a very important finding,” says study author Leslie Wood, PhD, a research fellow at the University of Newcastle in Australia. “The high-fat meal impaired the asthmatic response to albuterol. In subjects who had consumed a high-fat meal, the post-albuterol improvement in lung function at three and four hours was suppressed.” (source: WebMD, Asthma Patients: Danger Lurks in Fatty Meals)
The nutrition aspect of asthma management is always discussed at our AsthmaCare workshops. Not surprisingly, what the recent study now finds was concluded over 50 years ago by professor Buteyko’s research.
Although the Buteyko Method is primarily a breathing retraining therapy, for quicker recovery and long-term success, every effort should be made to minimize factors that promote over-breathing. Poor diet is, indeed, one of those factors.
So what is the best diet for asthmatics?
According to Professor Buteyko, foods that increase one’s breathing most include animal protein, saturated fat, dairy, chocolate, excess caffeine and alcohol, and foods you are allergic to. Milk, shellfish, nuts and wheat are among the most common foods that cause allergies.
But the very first commandment of Buteyko nutrition is – Do not overeat. Excess food puts enormous burden on not only the digestive system, but on the whole body. Our digestive system’s struggle is reflected in increased breathing volume, which in turn would easily trigger asthma or allergy symptoms. Notice how your breathing rate goes up after consuming big fatty meals. Some people experience frequent sighs, yawns or inability to take a deep breath – common signs of distressed breathing. People with a low Control Pause should be especially careful not to overeat, to not eat 2-3 hours before bed and to make wiser food choices overall.
For healthy breathing, a ratio of 80% alkalizing -20% acidifying foods should be maintained. Alkalizing foods are mostly fresh fruit and vegetables, so eat plenty!
A bit of good news is that the higher your Control Pause, the more tolerant you will become to different food groups, even less healthy ones. With higher CP, digestion optimizes and food allergies ease, so an occasional indulgent dinner won’t have such profound affect on a person with an over 40 second CP as it would on a person with a very low CP. But, even better news is that a person with an over 40 second CP would typically naturally gravitate toward healthier, raw, vegetarian, unprocessed food choices.
To learn more about improving your asthma naturally and permanently, visit our website.
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