Fiber supplements could be used as a treatment to asthma, an Australian study has shown.
As an estimated 300 million people worldwide are suffering from asthma, a breathing condition which affects the airways to the lungs, the Australian-led research has shown that fiber supplements can be used to treat asthma in a world-first, non-pharmacological treatment for people with the disease.
Professor Peter Gibson, president of the Thoracic Society for Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ) said the discovery could lead to further dietary treatments of the condition.
Asthma is a common disease of the airways. While there is no cure for asthma, good treatments are available. / CFP Photo
"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," Gibson said in a statement released on Monday.
"For many obese asthmatics, using puffers to control their asthma simply isn't working and it has doctors baffled. These studies which shed light on how diet can impact asthma by its effect on the gut microbiome and airway inflammation - hold particular significance for this group."
Scientists at the University of Newcastle's Priority Research Center for Healthy Lungs gave a number of "stable asthmatics" regular supplements containing inulin, a soluble fiber supplement.
Fiber in fruits and vegetables may relieve asthma. / Science Photo
They found the fiber supplements altered the gut microbiome which then had a positive effect on asthma control and reduced airway inflammation, something lead researchers Professor Lisa Wood said was a "ground-breaking" discovery.
"This 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," Wood said.
Around 1 to 2 percent of the population in China are thought to suffer from asthma, although a study in 2015 showed that this figure has been increasing, especially in cities such as Shanghai. And according to the Asia Asthma Development Board China has the world’s highest mortality rate from asthma, with 36.7 out of 100,000 patients dying prematurely due to the condition.
(Source: Xinhua)
