The role of nutrition in asthma prevention and treatment

Abstract

Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition characterized by airway inflammation and hyperreactivity. Prevalence has continued to rise in recent decades as Western dietary patterns have become more pervasive. Evidence suggests that diets emphasizing the consumption of plant-based foods might protect against asthma development and improve asthma symptoms through their effects on systemic inflammation, oxidation, and microbial composition. Additionally, increased fruit and vegetable intake, reduced animal product consumption, and weight management might mediate cytokine release, free radical damage, and immune responses involved in the development and course of asthma. The specific aim of this review paper is to examine the current literature on the associations between dietary factors and asthma risk and control in children and adults. Clinical trials examining the mechanism(s) by which dietary factors influence asthma outcomes are necessary to identify the potential use of nutritional therapy in the prevention and management of asthma.

Asthma and COVID-19: review of evidence on risks and management considerations

“…35 Children from less advantaged populations may also be impacted by disruptions to provision of school lunch programmes, with some evidence linking nutrition to respiratory outcomes in PWA. 36 How should PWA be managed when presenting with COVID-19? Guidance has been issued to PWA who suspect they may have COVID-19.…”

Diet: A Specific Part of the Western Lifestyle Pack in the Asthma Epidemic

“…The effects of individual nutrients on health have been widely studied in order to better understand the effects of isolated compounds on different diseases. However, nowadays, the study of specific dietary patterns and foods as complex matrices and their effect on health and disease prevention is gaining attention [24]. Regarding this, diets rich in vegetables are clearly related with valuable effects in preventing different diseases, whilst diets rich in calories, and overall when that energy is mainly provided by fat-rich foods, are strongly linked with chronic inflammatory processes, such as asthma, among others [25].…”

Association between dietary carotenoid intakes and the risk of asthma in adults: a cross sectional study of NHANES, 2007-2012

“…Carotenoids as diet-derived antioxidants have antioxidant effects and can lower ROS activities, thereby reducing airway in ammation and improving lung function in asthmatic patients. The previous studies have shown that β-carotene can scavenge the highly reactive free radical superoxide anions and donate an electron to reduce free radical molecules to prevent oxidative damage (8,26). In addition, lycopene has been shown to suppresses Th2 responses, reduce eosinophilic in ltrates in the lungs, and reduce ovalbumin-induced airway in ammation in an animal model of allergic asthma (27,28).…”