TL;DR
A high-antioxidant diet improved lung function and reduced inflammation in adults with asthma, while a Western diet high in processed foods was linked with more frequent asthma attacks.
Educational purposes only. Not medical advice.
High-Antioxidant Diet Improves Lung Function
A randomized, placebo-controlled study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition followed 137 adults with asthma for two weeks.[1]
Those who ate a high-antioxidant diet had better breathing capacity (FEV₁ and predicted FVC).
Those on a low-antioxidant diet showed increased C-reactive protein, an indicator of inflammation.
See also: Vegetables-and-asthma
Processed Foods Increase Asthma Attacks
A large study in the European Respiratory Journal looked at 54,672 French women.[2]
Among those with asthma, frequent attacks were strongly linked to a Western diet high in:
-
pizza
-
cured meats
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sweets
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processed foods
Takeaway
More antioxidants and fewer processed foods may support better asthma control and lower inflammation. Click for more on natural approaches to asthma.
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2012 Sep; 96(3): 534-43)
- European Respiratory Journal (2009; 33:33-41)
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