- Australian study suggests that good gut health could help asthma sufferers
- Researchers at University of Newcastle ran trial using fibre supplements
- They found supplements altered the gut microbiome in asthmatics
- This in turn had a positive impact on asthma control
- Researchers also looked at how diet high in saturated fat can worsen symptoms
Results of a new Australian trial have suggested that good gut health could help asthma-sufferers struggling to control their condition.
Researchers from the University of Newcastle, in NSW, ran a trial using fibre supplements and found that the supplements altered the gut microbiome in asthmatics which in turn had a positive impact on asthma control.
‘The ground-breaking research offers hope of a viable, complementary treatment for tens of millions of asthmatics around the world struggling to control their asthma with existing medications,’ lead researcher, Professor Lisa Wood said.
‘We’re at the tip of a new paradigm for how diet can be used to treat asthma,’ Professor Peter Gibson, President of the Thoracic Society for Australia and New Zealand said
The results of the trial were presented for the first time on Monday at the Thoracic Society for Australia and New Zealand Annual Scientific Meeting in Canberra.
‘This is the first time anyone has looked at the impact of altering the gut microbiome on asthma control in humans. We’re at the tip of a new paradigm for how diet can be used to treat asthma,’ Professor Peter Gibson, President of TSANZ, said at the conference.
Around 2.4 million Australians live with asthma and nearly half of those are failing to control their condition.
The study, conducted by the University of Newcastle’s Priority Research Centre for Healthy Lungs, gave a number of stable asthmatics daily supplements with inulin, a soluble fibre supplement.
Around 2.4 million Australians live with asthma and nearly half of those are failing to control their condition
Changes in asthma control, lung function, and gut microbiota were then monitored.
The researchers found that because of the way they altered the biology of the gut, fibre supplements had a positive effect on asthma control and reduced airway inflammation.
The treatment was most effective in people who were poorly controlled at the start of the intervention.
Another study presented by the group looked at the impact fatty meals have on asthma – with findings showing that a single meal high in saturated fat can worsen inflammation and cause temporary narrowing of the airways.
‘It illustrates just how vitally important it is that Australians eat a healthily and how fundamental healthy gut bacteria are to our well being,’ lead researcher Professor Lisa Wood said
Lead researcher Professor Wood said: ‘More and more we are learning about how our Westernised, highly processed diet is negatively impacting our health.
‘These studies show both how diets high in fat can worsen asthma, and how – conversely – a diet high in soluble fibre can help manage it.
‘It illustrates just how vitally important it is that Australians eat a healthily and how fundamental healthy gut bacteria are to our well being.’