April 30, 2019 – Diet and Asthma

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Anchor lead: Does what children eat affect their asthma symptoms? Elizabeth Tracey reports

Asthma can be a killer for children who live in cities. That’s because these kids spend much of their time indoors, where there are many more tiny particles in the air, called particulate matter or PM,  that are known to exacerbate asthma. Now research by Emily Brigham and colleagues at Johns Hopkins has shown that fatty acids in the diet called omega-3s and omega-6s, are also involved.

Brigham: We know particulate matter or indoor air pollution causes asthma symptoms, and we found that reported intake of omega three was linked with a lower level of asthma symptoms in reponse to PM, and higher intake of omega six was linked to higher levels of asthma symptoms in response to PM or particulate matter. And so we think these molecules are highly likely to be active in these populations, and this research really supports further investigations about what diet changes are important in people with asthma.  :29

At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.