Does Omega 3 Fish Oil Help Treat Asthma Symptoms?

Asthma is a condition that can affect your lifestyle if not well controlled.

But does natural nutrients such as fish oil or omega 3 fatty acids help treat the symptoms of asthma?

Some studies have shown a benefit, while others have shown no benefit.

More studies in this area will certainly help.

Let's look at a randomized, double-blind study published in medical journals in 2006 looking at exercise induced asthma and whether fish oil supplementation helps.

Exercise induced asthma is a condition that can exist on its own, or can be a part of the symptoms experienced by asthmatics who's asthma is triggered by other conditions such as allergens, respiratory infections, cold weather or other triggers.

This study used fish oil capsules which contained 3.2 grams of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and 2.0 grams of DHA (docohexaenoic acid) in the treatment group.

The study found the following:

a) There was an improvement in lung function tests to the level below which 'exercise induced asthma' would be diagnosed.

b) The need for bronchodilator medication was reduced. These are the reliever medicatiosn used to relieve acute episodes of asthma.

c) Testing of the amounts of markers of inflammation in sputum was also decrease.

This was a small study, but hold some promise.

More research into asthma and exercise induced asthma would be very interesting to se.

Omega 3 fatty acids have certainly made it into the medical news headlines for many reasons.

One of which is the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and asthma.

It is it's anti inflammatory effect that is presumed to be the cause of the beenfit in treating asthma.

Other effects of fish oils include a benefit on heart health (less heart attacks), mental health (less depression, bipolar, ADHD, dementia and aggression, and higher IQ), among others.

So to learn more about the benefits of omega 3, see the website in the resource box below.