A Vegetarian Diet For Asthma?

There is something to be said for not eating meat on philosophical grounds; however, even more important for our purposes, a vegetarian diet is clearly a healthy diet. Much to my amazement, I could only find one scientific study examining the impact of a vegetarian diet on asthma. This study followed thirty-five medication-dependent asthmatics who consumed a vegan diet with no meat, fish, eggs, tea (herbal teas were allowed), chocolate, sugar, coffee, and milk for one year.

According to the authors, there was a significant decrease in asthma symptoms and, in almost all cases, medication was stopped or drastically reduced. After four months, 71 percent of the participants reported reduced symptoms or no symptoms, with the percentage increasing to 92 percent after one year. The authors also reported decreases in weight, blood pressure, and heart rate. Plus, FEV! rose from an average of 2.0 L to 2.5 L, with an increase in vital capacity from 3.4 L to 4.0 L after one year. Vital capacity, the amount of air you can fully exhale, is an especially important measure of lung function for asthmatics, since asthma is characterized by air trapping (not being able to get all the air out of the lungs). While this study clearly demonstrates that a vegetarian diet can help people with asthma, more studies are needed. After reviewing the literature on diet and asthma and taking into consideration the vital role antioxidants play, I strongly recommend a vegetarian diet to anyone who can tolerate it. A vegetarian diet may or may not "cure" your asthma but, at the very least, it will help you to live a longer, healthier life. As with eating fish, you can't lose by being a vegetarian—it's a win-win situation.

The truth, however, about vegetarianism is that not everyone (myself included) can live without meat, fish, and dairy products. I strike a personal balance by rarely eating meat, with most of my evening meals consisting of fish. I try to eat vegetarian for breakfast and lunch whenever possible. Vegetarians should remember to supplement their diet with vitamin B12, calcium, vitamin D, iron, selenium, and zinc, since the lack of meat, fish, or dairy products can translate into several vitamin and mineral deficiencies. Taking a daily multivitamin helps prevent these deficiencies.