The developing story of antioxidants and asthma
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nottingham City Hospital, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK
- Correspondence to:
Dr R Hubbard
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Clinical Science Building, Nottingham City Hospital, Hucknall Road, Nottingham NG5 1PB, UK; richard.hubbardnottingham.ac.uk
Antioxidant genotype may predict response to antioxidant supplements for asthma
The extent to which diet may have an impact on either the aetiology or the severity of asthma is a question that has generated much interest over the past decade.1,2 A number of observational studies have suggested that various dietary components—including higher levels of antioxidants,3,4 magnesium,5 and fish,6—have a protective influence on the risk of asthma. The implication of these findings is that, by changing our diet, we may be able to alter our risk of developing asthma or modify the severity of the disease, and these hypotheses have now been tested in a number of randomised controlled trials. Most intervention studies have included subjects with a diagnosis of asthma and hypothesised that nutrient manipulation may improve disease activity. To date there have been only a limited number of long term randomised controlled trials of dietary interventions in patients with asthma, with those using antioxidants such as vitamin C and vitamin E tending to suggest a benefit,7–9 while others using fish oil supplements have been disappointing.10 The study of dietary intervention for the prevention and treatment of asthma is still in its infancy and further clinical trials are required to …
