Asthma and Mediterranean Diet

By Harvey Diamond

Certain estimates say 15 million individuals in the US, and over 300 million worldwide, are dealing with asthma.

Working from hospitals and medical schools in Finland and Portugal, researchers obtained information about therelation of diet to asthma mitigation in a group of individuals who had been previously diagnosed with asthma.

The goal of the study was to determine if the control of asthma was associated with eating a Mediterranean diet-type of food choices. The results were surprisingly encouraging! Only 25% of the total patients had well-controlled asthma at the end of the trial, and they were the exact same participants who closely followed a Mediterranean style food plan.

What this really meant was that a Mediterranean-style approach to eating appeared to greatly reduce the incidence of uncontrolled asthma. Even after factoring in age, gender, use of steroid inhalers, and calorie intake - eating Mediterranean-style foods still stood as a potent solution to asthma control.

These same researchers also held tests which showed fresh fruit intake and avoiding excessive alcohol consumption as other key factors in bringing asthma under control.

These findings are extremely encouraging because they point so strongly in the direction of finding a real aid to those who suffer from asthma. Also, antioxidant support resulting in a diet of fresh fruits and vegetables from the Mediterranean style diet is very likely to be part of the lung support factor. There is also a large amount of anti-inflammatory properties available in common Mediterranean foods, such as extra virgin olive oil.

  Many have asked about the incidence of Asthma in children, wondering if this dietary support method may be beneficial for children as well. While the study did not test children, the researchers are confident that if it was indeed the dieting approach that yielded positive results, it would no doubt be beneficial for children too.

But, what really is an asthma attack? Asthma attacks occur when smooth muscle cells clamp down on air passages,

closing them off. This makes it much harder to get air in and out of the lungs, leading to wheezing and difficulty breathing. If the attack continues, the patient may pass out or even die from suffocation. Asthma is a stressful thing to live with because even if someone is symptom free for a time, they always have the fear of another attack.

Fortunately, this new study has shed much deserved light on the prospect of healthy food choices and the relation to reduction of attacks and alleviation of symptoms caused by the debilitating condition of asthma.

A Mediterranean Diet approach to food has been shown to bring asthma under control. If you want a good start in this style diet, here are some of the foods you may want to incorporate.

Eat more

•  Organically grown fruits and vegetables
•  Cold water fish including cod, salmon, mackerel, herring and halibut
•  Extra virgin olive oil
•  Flax seeds
•  Rosemary, ginger and turmeric

Remove

• Eliminate milk and other dairy products which have been most commonly cited as increasing the severity of asthmatic symptoms.

Making these changes to your diet may not be easy. However, the results can prove to be worth any difficulty you experience in making changes to live Fit For Life. Even if you do not suffer from asthma, all of these dietary recommendations carry potential health benefits that can help anyone.

We wish you good health.

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