Caffeine And Salt - Do They Help Or Hurt Your Asthma?

Caffeine's antiasthma effects begin approximately one hour after ingestion and last up to six hours. Most authorities recommend 350 mg of caffeine daily for asthmatics. Since the average eight-ounce cup of coffee contains 135-150 mg of caffeine, most people need two to three cups of coffee, daily, to achieve an adequate bronchodilatory response. You can also get your caffeine kick from tea; however, since tea contains about half the caffeine of coffee, you just have to drink more of it. Caffeine doesn't come without a price and can increase your risk of insomnia, anxiety, osteoporosis, and abnormal heart rhythms. People who take theophylline should exercise caution regarding caffeine intake, as both have side effects that are additive.

 

 

Salt (sodium) is everywhere in the food supply; you just can't escape it. If you love salt—and who doesn't?—the news is not good. Since 1938, high sodium intake has been associated with asthma. As with many studies on diet and asthma, the role salt plays in asthma remains controversial. Several authors do, however, blame increased salt intake for the fact that asthma is more common in affluent nations than in less-developed countries. In fact, one study suggested that asthma deaths in men were related to elevated salt intake. Studies have also demonstrated that high-salt diets can increase airway reactivity. One study from the Catholic University in Rome examined salt consumption among 2,593 subjects and concluded that "personal table salt use is related to an increased prevalence of bronchial symptoms."

 

But these studies are not conclusive. In 2002, The Cochrane Library issued a report entitled "Dietary Salt Reduction or Exclusion for Allergic Asthma," which reviewed multiple studies on salt intake and asthma. The report stated that "based on currently available evidence, it is not possible to conclude whether dietary salt reduction has any place in the treatment or management of asthma." In other words, we need more studies.

 

There is emerging evidence that a strong relationship exists between salt and exercise-induced asthma (EIA). One double-blind, crossover study of nine men and six women found that a low-salt diet improved lung function, whereas a high-salt intake exacerbated EIA.28 This conclusion was confirmed by another group that found that salt and chloride worsened EIA symptoms after a normal or high-salt diet.

 

Given the negative health effects of excess salt in addition to the real possibility that salt can exacerbate asthma, I strongly suggest that asthmatics abstain from excess salt. Maintain a low-salt diet not only to protect your lungs, but also to avoid high blood pressure, stroke, heart disease, stomach cancer, and osteoporosis—conditions linked to high-salt intake. Be smart and cut back on the salt.