If you’re an asthma sufferer, you’re well aware that attacks
can come suddenly or gradually, last for minutes or days,
and cause considerable
distress and frustration. You’re also probably familiar with
the classic symptoms of asthma: shortness of breath, coughing,
tightness and itchiness in the chest and throat, and wheezing.
Asthma is more common in children than adults, although in
both the list of potential causes is long and varied. The
influence of diet on asthma has not been adequately considered
in research - at least until now. In a study performed in
Saudi Arabia, 114 children with a reported history of asthma
and/or wheeze were compared with 202 children with no such
history.
Among the variables found to be associated with asthma was
diet, specifically eating at fast food outlets, consuming
low levels of vegetables, milk, fiber, vitamin E, magnesium,
calcium, sodium and potassium. The authors suggest that dietary
factors during childhood are an important predictor of this
condition, concluding: “change in diet has been a determinant
of the worldwide increases in asthma and allergies.”
Your doctor of chiropractic can provide you with information
on asthma and allergies, while outlining a nutritional program
appropriate for you and your children.
Reference:
Hijazi N, Abalkhail B, Seaton A. Diet and childhood asthma
in a society in transition: a study in urban and rural Saudi
Arabia. Thorax 2000:55, pp775-59.
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