Bronchial Asthma (Part Two)

In the second part of the article we will introduce you to the basic principles of therapeutic nutrition in bronchial asthma .

In the absence of information on intolerance to certain foods, also in the presence of concomitant diseases requiring a special diet, patients are recommended a healthy menu, including a variety of foods. There are restrictions only on the use of salt, because in asthma sodium increases the sensitivity of the bronchi to external factors and can adversely affect chronic inflammatory processes of the respiratory tract. In practice, this restriction implies not to overdo the consumption of salty products and not to add extra salt to food. It is also important to follow a diet, because the factors that increase the risk of bronchial attacks include bloating and overeating, eating plenty of sleep.

• Limiting the content of carbohydrates (starch and free sugars) in the menu makes sense in case of impaired carbohydrate tolerance, due to prolonged intake of systemic corticosteroids, also in severe bronchial asthma, accompanied by respiratory failure with accumulation of carbon dioxide. The latter is due to the fact that in the process of carbohydrate metabolism more carbon dioxide is formed than in the process of protein and fat, and the excess exacerbates the severity of respiratory failure.
• There are no grounds for restrictions on the intake of free liquids (water, tea, juices, compotes, etc.). In addition, some experts are of the opinion that in bronchial asthma fluid intake should be abundant (if there are no contraindications, for example, from the cardiovascular system or kidneys).
• The menu of asthma sufferers should be rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, juices from them as the main sources of vitamin C, beta-carotene, carotenoids, as well as flavonoids. According to some experts in the field, moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages is permissible, especially wine. Take multivitamin complexes containing vitamins C and E, as well as beta-carotene, which have a beneficial antioxidant effect in such asthma.
• We should mention the polyunsaturated fatty acids Omega-3 and Omega-6 and their rational use in bronchial asthma. There is information that Omega-3 fatty acids (mainly marine fish fats) are able to suppress the formation in the body of substances that lead to inflammatory processes in the bronchi in asthma. It should be noted that Omega-3s do not affect the hyper activity of the bronchi and their susceptibility to spasms. Good sources of these fatty acids are: fatty sea fish (mackerel, tuna, flounder and others). Their consumption 3-4 times a week of 100-150 grams in the form of various dishes and canned food is quite sufficient to obtain the necessary amount of Omega-3 fatty acids for the body. Another option is to eat 50 grams of sea fish every day. Consumption of such products is contraindicated only in case of proven intolerance to them. In other cases, there is no reason to limit it, although according to the supporters of the hypoallergenic diet, which we talked about in the first part, this is not the case.
• Minerals that need to be obtained through multivitamin complexes: magnesium, zinc, copper, selenium, manganese.

Until the 1990s, some pulmonologists and nutritionists recommended mild and moderate forms of bronchial asthma and no contraindications for 2-3 weeks of curative fasting (unloading-diet therapy) in hospital. It turns out that this type of treatment does not work equally well on all patients, can be accompanied by serious complications, and the beneficial effect is short-lived, ie asthma attacks resume, most often due to acute respiratory viral diseases. In recent years, fasting treatment has been used extremely rarely in the fight against bronchial asthma.

Expect more about asthma and nutrition in part 3 ...