Acids found in fish may help millions of people with asthma breathe easier, study suggests
| Updated: Feb 23, 2018, 16:29 IST
We're on a constant look out for new studies and news theories to make your lives easier and today, we've come across something that can help all you asthma patients. A recent study that we came across in the February 2017 issue of a journal had evidence proving that omega-3s has a role to play in alleviating the symptoms of many diseases, including asthma.
The chronic lung disease in which airways become inflamed causes symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest tightness, chronic coughing, and trouble sleeping due to coughing or wheezing. There is a type of allergic asthma too which in response to a trigger causes inflammation of the airways that makes it harder to breathe and can result in an asthma attack, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. In the new study, researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York, collected blood from 17 people with asthma and isolated their B immune cells in the lab. They found that, in mild to moderate asthma, omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the production of IgE and improve asthma symptoms, the study authors concluded.
“There has been a lot of interest in omega-3 fatty acids and breathing diseases,” said Pamela L. Zeitlin MD, PhD, Silverstein Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and a professor of paediatrics at National Jewish Health in Denver. “The mechanism isn’t completely worked out yet but when fatty acids get absorbed, they exert anti-inflammatory effects in the blood and the lungs," she added. The American Heart Association recommends eating a variety of fish at least twice a week, especially fish containing omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, trout, and herring, or these other fish options. “Research has shown that the benefits are greatest in people who are deficient and consume more omega-3s," said Dr Zeitlin.
The chronic lung disease in which airways become inflamed causes symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest tightness, chronic coughing, and trouble sleeping due to coughing or wheezing. There is a type of allergic asthma too which in response to a trigger causes inflammation of the airways that makes it harder to breathe and can result in an asthma attack, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. In the new study, researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center in Rochester, New York, collected blood from 17 people with asthma and isolated their B immune cells in the lab. They found that, in mild to moderate asthma, omega-3 fatty acids may reduce the production of IgE and improve asthma symptoms, the study authors concluded.
“There has been a lot of interest in omega-3 fatty acids and breathing diseases,” said Pamela L. Zeitlin MD, PhD, Silverstein Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and a professor of paediatrics at National Jewish Health in Denver. “The mechanism isn’t completely worked out yet but when fatty acids get absorbed, they exert anti-inflammatory effects in the blood and the lungs," she added. The American Heart Association recommends eating a variety of fish at least twice a week, especially fish containing omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon, trout, and herring, or these other fish options. “Research has shown that the benefits are greatest in people who are deficient and consume more omega-3s," said Dr Zeitlin.