Written by Dr. Patrick Massey, MD, PhD. Research suggests a well-balanced diet rich in vegetables and fruits may reduce the risk of severe asthma attacks.
Most of us in traditional medicine have a perception that different organs act, for the most part, independently of each other. In reality all of our organs communicate with and depend on our other organs in order to stay healthy.
Medical research suggests that the way to reduce the incidence and severity of asthma may actually begin in the bowels. For some time now there has been a loose correlation between diet and the incidence and severity of asthma.
A well-balanced diet rich in vegetables and fruits reduces the risk of severe asthma attacks when compared to the usual American diet that is rich in starch, sugar and processed foods.
Over the past 20 years, evidence has been accumulating that the type of bacteria that live in our bowels play a vital role in reducing the incidence and severity of asthma. Basically, bad food equals inflammatory bacteria and inflammatory bacteria make inflammatory compounds that cause asthma to be worse. Good food equals good, anti-inflammatory bacteria and these anti-inflammatory compounds make asthma better.
Asthma is the result of the immune system in the lungs overreacting to triggers in the environment. Sometimes these triggers are well-defined, but in many cases the triggers are unknown.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, the incidence of asthma in both children and adults is about 8 percent. However, certain groups like African Americans, Puerto Ricans and the very poor have a significantly greater incidence of asthma than the general population. The cost of asthma is a staggering $56 billion per year. The average annual medical cost to asthma patients in the United States is a little over $3,000. In Europe this cost is less than $2,000. Interestingly the European diet contains much less starch, sugar and processed foods than the typical American diet.
A recent article compiling much of the research on asthma and bowel bacteria, published in Frontiers in Microbiology, demonstrated a powerful link between the immune systems of the bowel and the lungs. The type of bacteria in the bowel affects the activities and reactiveness of the immune system in the lungs.
There is good research to suggest that good bacteria like Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus produce short chain fatty acids (SCFA). These compounds are anti-inflammatory and reduce the immune cell hyper-reactivity in the lungs associated with asthma.
Bad bacteria do not make SCFA, but do make inflammatory compounds that cause, directly and indirectly, the immune cells of the lungs to become hyper-reactive. SCFA are produced when good bacteria eat fiber. Beans are an incredible source of fiber but, over time, have all but disappeared from the typical American diet. Vegetables like artichoke and green peas are also rich sources of fiber. Bread, even whole wheat bread, pasta, potatoes, oatmeal and bran muffins are poor sources of fiber compared to beans.
When I was in high school, only one student had asthma. Today asthma affects almost one in 10 children. The big difference may be the food.
Dr. Patrick B. Massey, MD, PH.D., is medical director for complementary and alternative medicine at Alexian Brothers Hospital Network and president of ALT-MED Medical and Physical Therapy, 1544 Nerge Road, Elk Grove Village. His website is www.alt-med.org.
Posted November 5, 2018.
