DEAR Dr. Fritz,
Good day to you and your SunStar family. I am Natty. I have been asthmatic for about five years now. It’s in the family. So, I come to accept it. I just wanted to ask if a certain diet can help my situation. And if so, what would my diet be?
Thanks, Doc. I’ll be waiting for your answer. I hope you have all the success in life.
Natty of Davao del Sur
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Dear Natty of Davao del Sur,
You are going through the right tract. I have some good news for you. New evidence shows that nutritionally rich foods might help prevent or minimize asthma. The study was done in Paris and was led by Roland Andrianasolo, part of the Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team at Inserm-Inra. While the study couldn't prove cause and effect, but, there's certainly no downside to eating better. For instance, we all know the health benefits of a diet rich in plant foods and unprocessed foods. This only means that choosing the right diet choices, like more on fruits and vegetables and fewer processed foods can help asthma.
The said study surveyed nearly 35,000 French adults on the number of asthma symptoms they had experienced over the past year. They were also asked about their eating habits. Diets high in fruits, vegetables and whole grain cereals were rated the healthiest, while those high in meat, salt and sugar were deemed the least healthy. And after adjusting for other factors linked with asthma such as smoking and exercise, the researchers found that healthier diets were tied to a 30 percent lower risk of developing asthma symptoms for men, and a 20 percent lower risk for women.
Moreover, the study also fond that among participants who already had asthma, healthy eating was associated with 60 percent lower risk for "poorly controlled" symptoms in men, and a 27 percent lower risk in women.
These results strongly encourage the promotion of healthy diets for preventing asthma symptoms and managing the disease. With a healthy diet, you can’t certainly do wrong. You are one step ahead in your fight. That’s way to go, Natty.
Opps.. There are still more to say. But, we are running out of space for now. So, we’ll continue this in my next issue. Until then!
Dr. Fritz
(Dr. Fritz Legarde Espedilla is an aesthetic dermatologist and surgeon and a clinical sexologist. She is also trained in hypnotherapy and Medical Acupuncture. She has been in the broadcast media for more than a decade and has written a book based on her 15 year stint with her radio program, “Healthy is Sexy Secrets ni Dr. Fritz.” She is also a faculty in a College of Pharmacy. For your questions, you may send them to Dear Dr. Fritz, c/o Sunstar-Davao Publishing Inc., Ebro-Pelayo Building, Jacinto St., Davao City, or you e-mail them to dokfritz@yahoo.com. If you don’t wish your letter to be published, we regret that we cannot answer them. Thank you for your understanding.)