Guest guest Posted December 16, 2007 Report Share Posted December 16, 2007 The spanish study is an old one (February 1998 issue of Thorax), and differing ones have been published since then. Several recent pro-fish oil abstracts can be found on Medline, but not conclusive abstracts too. Many factors can affect the outcome of an attempt to regulate asthma by taking fish oil : - quality, quantity (too much, too little), - being a good « diet responder » or not, - overall omega 6 to omega 3 ratio of diet, - carb consumption, - etc. BTW, this month's issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology has a good, free article on a novel way of understanding asthma. ------ Int J Tuberc Lung Dis. 2007 Jan;11(1):103-9. Links Fat and fish intake and asthma in Japanese women: baseline data from the Osaka Maternal and Child Health Study. Miyamoto S, Miyake Y, Sasaki S, Tanaka K, Ohya Y, Matsunaga I, Yoshida T, Oda H, Ishiko O, Hirota Y; Osaka Maternal and Child Health Study Group. Department of Public Health, Osaka City University Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan. OBJECTIVE: It remains controversial whether the intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and fish is preventive against asthma. This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between fat and fish intake and the prevalence of asthma using baseline data from a prospective study. DESIGN: The subjects were 1002 pregnant Japanese females. A diet history questionnaire was used to assess dietary habits. Current asthma and asthma after age 18 were defined as present if subjects had been treated with medications at some time in the previous 12 months and after reaching the age of 18, respectively. RESULTS: Fish consumption was independently associated with a decreased prevalence of asthma after age 18 and current asthma. A significant inverse relationship was observed between the ratio of n-3 to n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake and the prevalence of current asthma, but not asthma after age 18. Intake of total fat, saturated, monounsaturated, n-3 polyunsaturated and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, cholesterol, meat, eggs or dairy products was not evidently related to either outcome for asthma. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that => fish consumption and the high ratio of n-3 to n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake may be associated with a reduced prevalence of asthma in young female Japanese adults. <= ------ BMC Complement Altern Med. 2006 Jul 19;6:26. Links Treating asthma with omega-3 fatty acids: where is the evidence? A systematic review. Reisman J, Schachter HM, Dales RE, Tran K, Kourad K, D, Sampson M, on A, Gaboury I, Blackman J. Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON, Canada. jreisman@... BACKGROUND: Considerable interest exists in the potential therapeutic value of dietary supplementation with the omega-3 fatty acids. Given the interplay between pro- inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids, and the less pro-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids, it has been thought that the latter could play a key role in treating or preventing asthma. The purpose was to systematically review the scientific-medical literature in order to identify, appraise, and synthesize the evidence for possible treatment effects of omega-3 fatty acids in asthma. METHODS: Medline, Premedline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CAB Health, and, Dissertation Abstracts were searched to April 2003. We included randomized controlled trials (RCT's) of subjects of any age that used any foods or extracts containing omega-3 fatty acids as treatment or prevention for asthma. Data included all asthma related outcomes, potential covariates, characteristics of the study, design, population, intervention/exposure, comparators, and co interventions. RESULTS: Ten RCT's were found pertinent to the present report. CONCLUSION: => Given the largely inconsistent picture within and across respiratory outcomes, it is impossible to determine whether or not omega-3 fatty acids are an efficacious adjuvant or monotherapy for children or adults. <= Based on this systematic review we recommend a large randomized controlled study of the effects of high-dose encapsulated omega-3 fatty acids on ventilatory and inflammatory measures of asthma controlling diet and other asthma risk factors. This review was limited because Meta-analysis was considered inappropriate due to missing data; poorly or heterogeneously defined populations, interventions, intervention-comparator combinations, and outcomes. In addition, small sample sizes made it impossible to meaningfully assess the impact on clinical outcomes of co- variables. Last, few significant effects were found. ------ Am J Clin Nutr. 2006 Jun;83(6 Suppl):1505S-1519S.Links n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, inflammation, and inflammatory diseases. Calder PC. Institute of Human Nutrition, School of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom. pcc@... Inflammation is part of the normal host response to infection and injury. However, excessive or inappropriate inflammation contributes to a range of acute and chronic human diseases and is characterized by the production of inflammatory cytokines, arachidonic acid-derived eicosanoids (prostaglandins, thromboxanes, leukotrienes, and other oxidized derivatives), other inflammatory agents (e.g., reactive oxygen species), and adhesion molecules. At sufficiently high intakes, long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), as found in oily fish and fish oils, decrease the production of inflammatory eicosanoids, cytokines, and reactive oxygen species and the expression of adhesion molecules. Long-chain n-3 PUFAs act both directly (e.g., by replacing arachidonic acid as an eicosanoid substrate and inhibiting arachidonic acid metabolism) and indirectly (e.g., by altering the expression of inflammatory genes through effects on transcription factor activation). Long-chain n-3 PUFAs also give rise to a family of antiinflammatory mediators termed resolvins. Thus, n-3 PUFAs are potentially potent antiinflammatory agents. => As such, they may be of therapeutic use in a variety of acute and chronic inflammatory settings. Evidence of their clinical efficacy is reasonably strong in some settings (e.g., in rheumatoid arthritis) but is weak in others (e.g., in inflammatory bowel diseases and asthma). <= More, better designed, and larger trials are required to assess the therapeutic potential of long-chain n-3 PUFAs in inflammatory diseases. The precursor n-3 PUFA alpha-linolenic acid does not appear to exert antiinflammatory effects at achievable intakes. ---------- Chest. 2006 Jan;129(1):39-49. Links => Protective effect of fish oil supplementation on exercise-induced bronchoconstriction in asthma. <= Mickleborough TD, Lindley MR, Ionescu AA, Fly AD. Human Performance and Exercise Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, Indiana University, 1025 E Seventh St, HPER 112, Bloomington, IN 47401, USA. tmickleb@... BACKGROUND: Previous research has demonstrated that fish oil supplementation has a protective effect on exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) in elite athletes, which may be attributed to its antiinflammatory properties. Since EIB in asthma involves proinflammatory mediator release, it is feasible that fish oil supplementation may reduce the severity of EIB in asthmatic subjects. STUDY OBJECTIVES: To determine the efficacy of fish oil supplementation on severity of EIB in subjects with asthma. DESIGN: Randomized, double-blind, crossover study. SETTING: Lung function and exercise testing in a university research laboratory.Patients and measurements: Sixteen asthmatic patients with documented EIB entered the study on their normal diet and then received either fish oil capsules containing 3.2 g of eicosapentaenoic acid and 2.0 g of docohexaenoic acid (fish oil diet, n = 8) or placebo capsules (placebo diet, n = 8) daily for 3 weeks. At the beginning of the study (normal diet) and at the end of each treatment phase, the following pre-exercise and postexercise measures were assessed: (1) pulmonary function; (2) induced sputum differential cell count percentage and proinflammatory eicosanoid metabolite (leukotriene C4 [LTC4]-leukotriene E4 [LTE4] and prostaglandin D2 [PGD2]) and cytokine (interleukin [iL]-1beta and tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-alpha) concentrations; and (3) eicosanoid metabolites leukotriene B4 (LTB4) and leukotriene B5 (LTB(5)) generation from activated polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNLs). RESULTS: On the normal and placebo diet, subjects exhibited EIB. However, the fish oil diet improved pulmonary function to below the diagnostic EIB threshold, with a concurrent reduction in bronchodilator use. Induced sputum differential cell count percentage and concentrations of LTC4-LTE4, PGD2, IL-1beta, and TNF-alpha were significantly reduced before and following exercise on the fish oil diet compared to the normal and placebo diets. There was a significant reduction in LTB4 and a significant increase in LTB5 generation from activated PMNLs on the fish oil diet compared to the normal and placebo diets. CONCLUSION: => Our data suggest that fish oil supplementation may represent a potentially beneficial nonpharmacologic intervention for asthmatic subjects with EIB. <= --------- J Asthma. 2005 Jul-Aug;42(6):513-8. Links Maternal fish consumption during pregnancy and risk of early childhood asthma. Salam MT, Li YF, Langholz B, Gilliland FD. Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California 90033, USA. Maternal fish consumption during pregnancy may affect children's asthma risk by modulating early-life immune development. Type of fish intake may be important because of differences in fatty acid content. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a nested case- control study, selecting subjects from the Children's Health Study, a population-based study of school-aged children in southern California. Cases had physician-diagnosed asthma and controls were asthma-free by age 5 years. Mothers or guardians provided information on fish consumption during pregnancy in telephone interviews. We computed odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) by using conditional logistic regression models that accounted for the sampling. In children born to mothers with a history of asthma, the OR of asthma was 0.20 (95% CI = 0.06-0.65) when mothers ate oily fish at least monthly during pregnancy compared with no consumption (p(trend) = 0.006). Maternal oily fish consumption during pregnancy did not benefit children of non- asthmatic mothers. In contrast, fish stick (a source of trans-fats) consumption during pregnancy increased asthma risk in children (OR = 2.04; 95% CI = 1.18-3.51). => Our results suggest that maternal oily fish intake during pregnancy may protect offspring from asthma; however, eating fish sticks during pregnancy may increase asthma risk in children. <= ------ Eur J Clin Nutr. 2005 Dec;59(12):1335-46. Links Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids in asthma- and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. Mickleborough TD, Rundell KW. Human Performance and Exercise Biochemistry Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, Indiana University, Bloomington, 47401, USA. tmickleb@... Despite progress that has been made in the treatment of asthma, the prevalence and burden of this disease has continued to increase. While pharmacological treatment of asthma is usually highly effective, medications may have significant side effects or exhibit tachyphylaxis. Alternative therapies for treatment that reduce the dose requirements of pharmacological interventions would be beneficial, and could potentially reduce the public health burden of this disease. Ecological and temporal data suggest that dietary factors may have a role in recent increases in the prevalence of asthma. A possible contributing factor to the increased incidence of asthma in Western societies may be the consumption of a proinflammatory diet. In the typical Western diet, 20- to 25-fold more omega (n)-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) than n-3 PUFA are consumed, which promotes the release of proinflammatory arachidonic acid metabolites (leukotrienes and prostanoids). This review will analyze the evidence for the health effects of n-3 PUFA in asthma- and exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB). While clinical data evaluating the effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in asthma has been equivocal, it has recently been shown that fish oil supplementation, rich in n-3 PUFA, reduces airway narrowing, medication use, and proinflammatory mediator generation in nonatopic elite athletes with EIB. => These findings are provocative and suggest that dietary fish oil supplementation may be a viable treatment modality and/or adjunct therapy in asthma and EIB. <= ----------- J Asthma. 2005 Jun;42(5):305-14. Links Dietary omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation and airway hyperresponsiveness in asthma. Mickleborough TD. Department of Kinesiology, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana 47401, USA. tmickleb@... Asthma prevalence continues to increase despite the progress that has been made in the treatment options for asthma. Alternative treatment therapies that reduce the dose requirements of pharmacological interventions would be beneficial, and could potentially reduce the public health burden of this disease. => There is accumulating evidence that dietary modification has potential to influence the severity of asthma and reduce the prevalence and incidence of this condition. <= A possible contributing factor to the increased incidence of asthma in Western societies may the consumption of a pro- inflammatory diet. In the typical Western diet, 20-25-fold more omega (n)-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) than n-3 PUFA are consumed, which results in the release of pro-inflammatory arachidonic acid metabolites. Eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid are n-3 PUFA derived from fish oil that competitively inhibit n-6 PUFA arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism and this reduce the generation of pro- inflammatory 4-series leukotrienes (LTs) and 2-series prostaglandins (PGs) and production of cytokines from inflammatory cells. These data are consistent with the proposed pathway by which dietary intake of n-3 PUFA modulates lung disease. This article will review the existing information concerning the relationship between n-3 PUFA supplementation and airway hyperresponsiveness in asthma. It includes studies assessing the efficacy of n-3 PUFA supplementation in exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. This review will also address the question as to whether supplementing the diet with n-3 PUFA represents a viable alternative treatment regimen for asthma. ------- J Am Diet Assoc. 2005 Jan;105(1):98-105. Links Clinical efficacy of n-3 fatty acid supplementation in patients with asthma. Wong KW. Department of Agriculture and Human Ecology, Virginia State University, PO Box 9211, sburg, VA 23806, USA. kwong@... The rising prevalence of asthma is an alarming health concern. The morbidity and mortality associated with asthma not only disrupts the quality of life, but it also escalates health care costs. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory tract. An exaggerated production of the arachidonic acid-derived eicosanoids, leukotrienes, has been implicated as the chemical trigger for inflammation. n-3 fatty acid supplementation has been shown to suppress the synthesis of the n-6 series of leukotrienes by competing and inhibiting the metabolism of arachidonic acid. => The results from epidemiological studies suggested that fish consumption was beneficially associated with lung function and prevalence of asthma. The data generated from clinical trials, however, indicated that n-3 fatty acid supplementation did not consistently improve severity of symptoms, lung functions, airway responsiveness, and medication use in asthmatic patients. <= Future research should focus on the effects of long-term supplementation using weight-based dosages on specific biochemical markers and clinical outcomes. Leading organizations have not included nutrition as part of the management guidelines for asthma. Meanwhile, regular fish consumption at least three times per week should be highly encouraged as part of a well-balanced diet and to meet the adequate intake levels established for n-3 fatty acids. > > My doctor sent me this study. It's an older study, > but I asked him about my theory that EPA's might be > causing some of my problems. > > Links > Effects of a fish oil enriched diet on aspirin > intolerant asthmatic patients: a pilot study. > > Picado C, Castillo JA, Schinca N, Pujades M, Ordinas > A, Coronas A, Agusti-Vidal A. > Servei de Pneumologia, Hospital Clinic, Facultad de > Medicina, Barcelona, Spain. > > The effect of a fish oil enriched diet containing > about 3 g of eicosapentaenoic acid was studied in 10 > patients with aspirin intolerant asthma. Subjects were > studied during six weeks on a control diet followed by > six weeks on the fish oil diet in a single blind study > design. They were asked to record their peak > expiratory flow (PEF) twice daily, bronchodilator and > steroid doses, and subjective ratings of pulmonary > symptoms on diary cards. There were no significant > changes in symptom scores over the six weeks of either > the control diet or the fish oil diet. PEF values, > however, were significantly lower during the fifth and > sixth week of the fish oil diet than during the > control diet (308 v 262 l/min week 5 and 306 v 256 > l/min week 6). Bronchodilator usage was also greater > during the fifth and sixth week of the fish oil diet > than during the control period (12.0 v 7.4 and 13.0 v > 7.4 puffs a day in weeks 5 and 6). This pilot study > suggests that fish diets may have a deleterious effect > on patients with aspirin intolerant asthma. > > > ________________________________________________________________________________\ ____ > Looking for last minute shopping deals? > Find them fast with Search. http://tools.search./newsearch/ category.php?category=shopping > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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