ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — There are currently more than 26 million people living with asthma in the U.S. The most common asthma triggers include indoor allergens, mold, infections, and weather. But there may be another trigger that can play a major role.
This is what an asthma attack feels like:
“They’re struggling to breathe, pulling at their neck, coughing and wheezing, and having some chest pain or feeling almost like their chest is being squeezed,” described Jeffrey Ewig, MD, pediatric pulmonologist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
Half of people with asthma have at least one asthma attack each year, and more than 3,500 people die of asthma. While things like pollen and pet dander may be common asthma triggers, experts say food can be as well, leading them to experience:
“Congestion, or runny nose, or sneezing, itchy, watery eyes,” explained Priya Patel, MD, immunologist at CHOP.
Foods that contain sulfites can also trigger asthma. They are common in wines, dried fruits, pickles, fresh and frozen shrimp, and bottled lemon juice. Chemicals that are naturally found in coffee, teas, spices, herbs and anti-inflammatory pills, like aspirin, can make it hard to breathe if you have asthma. Also, loading up on vitamin D can strengthen your immune system’s response against asthma triggers and could lessen swelling in your airways.
“The main effect that we’re talking about in vitamin D really has to do with the immune system,” said Ivan Castro, MD, internal medicine at Private Health MD.
You can get vitamin D from:
“Mushrooms, salmon, halibut, herring. Milk is fortified with vitamin D, eggs,” listed Dr. Castro.
Or you can go outside and get some vitamin D from the sunshine.
Foods with omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, tuna and sardines can help with asthma symptoms as they help lessen the amount of immunoglobulin E, or IGE your body makes. IGE is an antibody that causes breathing problems in some people with asthma.
Contributors to this news report include: Milvionne Chery, Producer; Roque Correa, Editor.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/asthma-data/about/most-recent-asthma-data.html
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/asthma/causes
https://acaai.org/asthma/asthma-101/facts-stats/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/asthma/expert-answers/asthma-diet/faq-20058105
https://www.webmd.com/asthma/ss/slideshow-asthma-and-your-diet
* For More Information, Contact:
Joey McCool
Senior Public Relations Specialist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
and
Ivan Castro, MD
Internal Medicine at Private Health MD
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