Mediterranean Diet Benefits Lung Health

by | Aug 26, 2008 | 2008, Asthma, Lung Health, Mediterranean Diet

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. High adherence to the Mediterranean Diet produced a 78% reduced risk of non-controlled asthma.

Asthma affects more than 20 million Americans, including 6.1 million children (1), and is recognized as “a major public health problem of increasing concern in the United States.” As the third-ranking cause of hospitalization among those younger than 15 years of age, asthma costs $3.2 billion and accounts for 14 million lost school days each year (2).

Environmental concerns such as damp homes (3) and exposure to chemical-based cleaners (4) have been found to increase asthma risk. A recent study (5) has found that the Mediterranean Diet (MD), characterized by high intakes of fruits, vegetables, nuts and fish, may also benefit lung health and asthma.

In the study, 174 patients diagnosed with asthma with an average age of 40 years completed questionnaires on their physical activity (6) and food intake (7). The researchers used their responses to score how well they followed the MD (8). This score (aMED) was based on their intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, fish, red and processed meats, corn, monounsaturated and saturated fats.

The researchers found that “high adherence to the [MD]” produced a 78% reduced risk of having non-controlled asthma, with consumption of more than 300 grams of fruits per day producing a 71% reduced risk of having non-controlled asthma. Higher consumption of nuts (more than 2.54 grams per day) including almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, peanuts, pine nuts, pistachios and cashews “were positively associated” with lung function (19% reduced risk of non-controlled asthma). This is thought to be due to their high amounts of monounsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants called polyphenols (9), which help with inflammation and immune system health (10) and have been shown previously to help with allergies (11) and hay fever (12).

Other foods that decreased asthma risk were whole grains (more than 41.52 grams per day producing a 58% reduced risk) and vegetables (more than 211.54 grams per day producing a 40% reduced risk). Foods that increased the risk of asthma were corn and meat. More than 3.14 grams per day of corn increased asthma risk by 41% and more than 51.88 grams of red or processed meats per day increased asthma risk by 64%. Unfortunately, the researchers did not translate these gram intakes into servings or cups of the specified foods.

For the researchers, “the present study introduces a beneficial link between the adherence to a [MD diet] and adult asthma control and severity.”

Source: Barros, R., A. Moreira, J. Fonseca, J. Ferraz de Oliveira, L. Delgado, M. G. Castel‐Branco, T. Haahtela, C. Lopes, and P. Moreira. “Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and fresh fruit intake are associated with improved asthma control.” Allergy 63, no. 7 (2008): 917-923.

© 2008 The Authors©2008 The Authors Journal compilation © 2008 Blackwell Munksgaard

Posted August 26, 2008.

References:

  1. “Asthma” posted on the American Lung Association Website
  2. CDC’s National Center for Environmental Health Website. “Asthma’s Impact on Children and Adolescents”
  3. Jaakkola, J. J., B. F. Hwang, et al. (2005). “Home dampness and molds, parental atopy, and asthma in childhood: a six-year population-based cohort study.” Environ Health Perspect 113(3): 357-61.
  4. Sherriff, A., A. Farrow, et al. (2005). “Frequent use of chemical household products is associated with persistent wheezing in pre-school age children.” Thorax 60(1): 45-9.
  5. Barros R.  Adherence to the Mediterranean diet and fresh fruit intake are associated with improved asthma control.  Allergy 2008; 63(7):917-923.
  6. Sjostrom M, Bauman AE, Booth ML, Ainsworth BE et al. International physical activity questionnaire: 12-country reliability and validity. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2003;35:1381–1395.
  7. Lopes C, Aro A, Azevedo A, Ramos E, Barros H. Intake and adipose tissue composition of fatty acids and risk of myocardial infarction in a male Portuguese community sample. J Am Diet Assoc 2007;107:276–286.
  8. Fung TT, McCullough ML, Newby PK, Manson JE, Meigs JB, Rifai N et al. Diet-quality scores and plasma concentrations of markers of inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. Am J Clin Nutr 2005;82:163–173.
  9. Dreher ML, Maher CV, Kearney P. The traditional and emerging role of nuts in healthful diets. Nutr Rev 1996;54:241–245.
  10. Kris-Etherton PM, Yu-Poth S, Sabate J, Ratcliffe HE, Zhao G, Etherton TD. Nuts and their bioactive constituents: effects on serum lipids and other factors that affect disease risk. Am J Clin Nutr 1999;70(Suppl. 3):504S–511S.
  11. Trak-Fellermeier MA, Brasche S, Winkler G, Koletzko B, Heinrich J. Food and fatty acid intake and atopic disease in adults. Eur Respir J 2004;23:575–582.
  12. Nagel G, Nieters A, Becker N, Linseisen J. The influence of the dietary intake of fatty acids and antioxidants on hay fever in adults. Allergy 2003;58:1277–1284.