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Nutrition and Asthma

  • ASTHMA (WJ CALHOUN AND J BOUSQUET, SECTION EDITORS)
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Abstract

Over the past four decades, the prevalence of asthma has markedly increased in Westernized countries and countries transitioning to this lifestyle. It has been hypothesized that these increases are a consequence of changing environmental and/or behavioral factors. The modification of dietary habits (ie, decreased intake of fruits/vegetables and increased intake of “Westernized” processed foods) and a decrease in sun exposure have led to decreased intake of antioxidant vitamins and fatty acids and to decreased circulating levels of vitamin D, and have been proposed to explain the rise in asthma prevalence. This article summarizes the main findings on foods and nutrients connected to asthma based on several exhaustive recent reviews on the topic, and examines the evidence for an effect of dietary patterns on asthma. Overall, findings underscore the importance of conducting prospective studies and clinical trials to better understand the role of diet in the etiology of asthma.

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Acknowledgments

The author wishes to thank Francine Kauffmann for thoughtful comments.

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No potential conflicts of interest relevant to this article were reported.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Inserm CESP/U1018, Respiratory and Environmental Epidemiology Team, 16 Avenue Paul Vaillant Couturier, 94 807, Villejuif Cedex, France

    Raphaëlle Varraso

  2. Université Paris Sud 11, UMRS 1018, F-94807, Villejuif, France

    Raphaëlle Varraso

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  1. Raphaëlle Varraso
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Correspondence to Raphaëlle Varraso.

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Varraso, R. Nutrition and Asthma. Curr Allergy Asthma Rep 12, 201–210 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11882-012-0253-8

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