Effect of a Fish Oil Diet on Asthma: Results of a 1-Year Double-Blind Study

Abstract

Airway inflammation is a major component of asthma. Food intake of N-3 fatty acids (FA) is associated with a low incidence of inflammatory diseases, such as asthma. We treated 12 asthmatic patients with FA and report the positive results of this 1-year double-blind study. A positive effect on forced expiratory volume in 1 s was observed after the 9 month of treatment. Our results are in favor of the use of FA, but have to be confirmed by other studies.

Relationship of dietary fish intake to level of pulmonary function

“…The findings of this study are close to the results that we obtained in a prospective double-blind study of N-3 fatty acid intake in asthmatics [2]. We observed that 1 g per day of N-3 fatty acid, given to asthmatics during one year in addition to their diet, was responsible for an increase in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV 1 ) 9 months later, with a magnitude very similar to that found in the NHANES I study.…”

Obesity, Nutrition, and Asthma in Children

“…[67][68][69][70] Increases in dietary and inflammatory cell n-3:n-6 PUFA ratio have been associated with improvements in asthma outcomes. [71][72][73][74][75] Interestingly, a Mediterranean diet higher in n-3 fatty acids and antioxidants appears to protect young children from recurrent wheezing. 76 Obese children on average consume more n-6 dietary PUFAs, have a reduced n-3:n-6 ratio in their diet, 77 and have reduced n-3:n-6 PUFA serum levels compared to similar leans.…”

Air pollution, oxidative stress and dietary supplementation: a review

“…Most of these studies enrolled a small number of asthmatic patients randomly assigned to receive a high dose of n-3 PUFA (3-4 g of EPA) for a short time-period (6-10 weeks); results were inconsistent. Studies with longer intervention periods, from 6 months to 1 yr, also led to inconsistent results with some studies showing improvement in lung function [100,101] or inflammatory markers [101][102][103], or no effect [104]. The dosage and duration of n-3 PUFA supplementation, and the type of asthmatic patients differed between studies and may explain the discrepancy between these studies [12,34].…”