Natural Asthma Remedy

"Omega-3 Fatty Acids Can Be a Natural Asthma Remedy..."

Can omega-3 fatty acids be considered a natural asthma remedy? The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality conducted a study to learn of omega-3 fatty acids could be an effective asthma natural treatment

........The purpose of the study was to conduct a systematic review of the scientific medical literature to identify, appraise, and synthesize the evidence for the health effects of omega-3 fatty acids on asthma.  The study was similar to many allergy and asthma proceedings.

Fatty Acids are necessary fats that humans cannot synthesize, and must be obtained through diet. They support the cardiovascular, reproductive, immune, and nervous systems.

The human body needs these fatty acids to manufacture and repair cell membranes, enabling the cells to obtain optimum nutrition and expel harmful waste products.

Considerable interest in the possible value of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation in asthma was sparked by suggesting that the low incidence of asthma in Eskimos stems from their consumption of large quantities of oily fish, rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

Additional impetus for research came from observations that omega-3 fatty acids' possible protective, or even therapeutic, effect might be afforded by their impact on mediators of inflammation thought to be related to the pathogenesis of asthma.

Twenty-six studies, described by 31 reports, investigated the evidence concerning the health effects of omega-3 fatty acids in asthma. The questions of secondary prevention and of safety related to omega-3 fatty acid use in subpopulations of asthmatics could not be addressed due to a lack of studies.

Eleven RCTs and 15 studies using other designs  were included in the study. Three of the former and six of the latter involved children or adolescents exclusively. It is likely that 38 all treatment studies lasted long enough to demonstrate that a difference could be found in terms of respiratory outcomes and mediators of inflammation.

The present findings suggest that, with omega-3 fatty acid supplementation intended to influence asthma, there is little probability of harm beyond occasional mild discomfort. The most frequent troublesome events were produced by the delivery of the oils in large numbers and sizes of capsules.

On the other hand, the lack of sufficiently consistent evidence suggests that no definitive conclusion can yet be drawn regarding the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation as a treatment for asthma in children and adults.

Likewise, nothing specific can be concluded regarding the role of specific sources, types, or doses of omega-3 fatty acid content in producing significant clinical effects.

At this point in time it is impossible to definitively conclude anything with respect to the value of using omega-3 fatty acid in asthma for adults or children either in or beyond North America.

The study reports a potentially interesting hypothesis relates to the possible asthma-related benefits associated with actively decreasing levels of omega-6 fatty acid intake concurrent with increasing the intake of omega-3 fatty acids.

At the same time, given that the present collection of evidence does not constitute the best test of the overarching hypothesis that omega-3 fatty acid supplementation alone can foster asthma-related benefits, more research is likely needed to adequately answer the questions posed in the present systematic review.

If you would like to run your own test, try eating fish (particularly fatty fish) at least two times a week.  Fish is a good source of protein and doesn't have the high saturated fat that fatty meat products do.  Fatty fish like mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna and salmon are high in two kinds of omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Ask for your doctor's advice before considering omega-3 fatty Acids as a natural asthma remedy and before adding any foods to your diet.

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