If you or a loved one has asthma, you should know about the most effective asthma treatments for short-term relief and long-term control. During an asthma attack, you may cough, wheeze and have trouble breathing. An asthma attack may be minor, with symptoms that get better with prompt home treatment, or it may be more serious.
Foods such as saturated fats and refined sugars may be a trigger for asthma attacks, according to Australian research.
Recently two studies suggesting that people with a diet high in inflammatory foods are more likely to suffer asthma attacks compared to those who eat anti-inflammatory foods such as fruit and vegetables. Researchers also found significant associations with inflammatory diets and reduced lung function.
Associate Professor Lisa Wood from the Centre for Asthma and Respiratory Diseases at the University of Newcastle said that when it came to pro-inflammatory foods, saturated fat consumption was the most important dietary component while fibre was the most important anti-inflammatory dietary component, along with beta-carotene.
“It is possible that people who are regularly consuming high levels vegetables could reduce their tendency to have an exacerbation,” Professor Wood said.
“If you are someone who chronically eats high fat food… then you will be chronically in that inflamed state.”
In a separate study, Professor Wood’s team, with researchers from The University of Sydney, found dietary fat also played a role in reducing the effectiveness of Ventolin (salbutamol).
They found that bronchial epithelial cells transported more salbutamol through the membrane in the presence of polyunsaturated fat or no fat, compared to saturated fats. Bronchodilators relieve the symptoms of asthma by relaxing the muscles that can tighten around the airways. This helps to open up the airways.
Short-acting bronchodilator inhalers are often referred to as rescue inhalers and are used to quickly relieve the cough, wheeze, chest tightness, and shortness of breath caused by asthma.