Parents of asthmatic, picky eaters won’t be pleased with this news. There’s a way to markedly reduce asthma symptoms, but you’ll need to feed them at least two serves of oily, fishy fish like mackerel, sardines and salmon, twice a week.
A La Trobe University clinical trial has found that eating a Mediterranean diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids reduced airway inflammation.
“This research also showed that the improvement is fairly quick – over six months,” co-researcher Professor Catherine Itsiopoulos told the Herald Sun.
“There’s no reason we couldn’t apply this to adults”
The trial was conducted in Athens, with 64 participants aged five to 12. All suffered from mild asthma.
Half of the children were fed a Greek-Mediterranean diet which included two meals of cooked fatty fish each week.
Lung inflammation in the group reduced by a “significant” 14 units after six months.
“Changing a diet is relatively easy,” said Professor Itsiopoulos on the potential for a safe and effective treatment for childhood asthma.
“We do need support at home for a healthy diet but, together with proper medical management, it can have a very positive effect,” she said.
The study was conducted with children, but Professor Itsiopoulos said the anti-inflammatory properties of the fish would have the same benefits in adults.
“There is absolutely no reason why we couldn’t apply this to adults,” she said.
In just six months a Mediterranean diet high in omega-3-rich fish markedly reduced respiratory inflammation. Photo: iStock
“The rate of asthma remains high”
Approximately 12 per cent of Australian children aged 14 an under had asthma in 2014-2015 and the condition is one of the leading causes of hospital visits for children.
“Unfortunately, the rate of asthma worldwide remains high,” said Associate Professor Bircan Erbas, who co-supervised the trial.
“It is imperative that we identify new therapies that we can use alongside conventional asthma medications.”
Book in to a first id course today to learn more about asthma. www.canberrafirstaid.com