Managing Asthma through Diet and Exercise: What Helps and What to Avoid

When it comes to health, the first things that come to our mind include diet and nutrition. Phrases such as “proper diet”, “healthy lifestyle”, and “good nutrition” are things we often hear whenever we visit the doctor. It is also connected to the lifestyle diseases we all know, such as Type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia or “high cholesterol”, and hypertension. But did you know that diet and nutrition also play a significant role in the management of asthma?

Asthma is a chronic lung condition that occurs due to inflammation of the airways, causing blockage of airflow.¹ Patients with asthma usually have coughing, wheezing, and difficulty breathing.¹ Asthma is so common that in the Philippines, an estimated 15% of adults have asthma, with nearly half of these patients suffering from poorly controlled symptoms.² Additionally, nearly 1 in 10 Filipino children have asthma as well, making this disease all the more important to discuss and control.³

Because asthma develops due to inflammation and airway tightening, the medicines given include inhaled steroids and bronchodilators.¹ Most commonly used medications are salbutamol, formoterol, budesonide, and fluticasone.¹

But an overlooked part of management is the food we eat and the lifestyle we have.⁴ In fact, there are foods that promote symptom relief, and there are foods that worsen asthma. Now you might be wondering what’s a good asthma diet, or what then is the best diet for asthma control?

Here are some things we should consider in our diet that can help manage asthma:

1) Fruit and vegetable intake

Studies showed that a high consumption of fruits and vegetables reduces the risk of developing asthma in children and adults, specifically patients who ate at least 1 fruit a day (or half a cup).⁴
A high intake is also associated with better lung function (a higher forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) as seen in spirometry) and decreased wheezing.⁴

On top of that, long-term intake of fruits in children aged 2 to 8 years old was also associated with fewer asthma symptoms and sensitivity to allergens.⁴ This was also seen in studies done in adults and adolescents.

Why is this so? Researchers explain that these effects may be because of the antioxidants in fruits and vegetables.⁴ Antioxidants are molecules that collect free radicals in the body.⁴ These free radicals, when left in our organs, cause stress and damage to our cells, and when they cause damage in the lungs, they lead to asthma symptoms.⁴ Antioxidants help remove these free radicals and repair the damage that has been done.⁴ Examples of antioxidants include vitamins E and C, carotene, flavonoids, and selenium.

Tips to include more fruits and vegetables in the diet:

• Add fruits to your breakfast⁵, such as berries in your oatmeal or saging na saba with your breakfast silog
• Eat as snacks and dessert⁵, such as apples and oranges instead of white/sweet bread like Spanish bread, kalihim, or ensaymada
• Add side salads consisting of vegetables to your meals⁵

2) Fat and fiber

High fat and low fiber intake were connected with increased inflammation and worse lung function in asthmatic patients.⁴

A diet high in fat increases the inflammatory molecules in the body, which then cause airway inflammation.⁴ Most notable are the saturated fatty acids. Foods high in saturated fats include beef, lamb, pork, lard, butter, cream, whole milk, oils from coconuts, palm fruits, or palm kennels, and food fried using saturated fats.⁶ They also change our gut bacteria, which just worsens the inflammation.

However, unsaturated fatty acids play the opposite role, and instead have anti-inflammatory effects. Examples of foods rich in unsaturated fats include oils from olives, peanuts, and sunflower, avocados, peanuts, almonds, cashews, soybeans, salmon, tuna, and sardines.⁶

The fiber in whole grains also contains antioxidants, as well as anti-inflammatory effects. The fiber affects the gut bacteria, which then produces several substances that help lessen lung inflammation.

Tips to increase fiber and decrease fat for your Asthma Diet:

• Add more beans to your meals as a fiber option, such as chickpeas or garbanzos, lentils, black beans, and kidney beans⁵
• Lessen processed and cured meats including hotdogs, sausages, corned beef, and luncheon meat⁵
• Avoid fast food as much as possible, and eat as an occasional treat only⁵
• Choose lean meat and poultry without the skin, and trim the visible fat from your meat⁶

3) Vitamin D

Several studies showed that vitamin D levels were heavily decreased in asthma patients compared to those who did not have asthma. In fact, children who are deficient in vitamin D were 5 times as likely to have asthma.⁵

Insufficient levels of vitamin D have also been connected to asthma severity, with increased risk of hospitalizations and emergency visits.⁵

Vitamin D plays a number of roles in the body, not just for calcium metabolism and bone density.
Vitamin D also helps produce the molecules that decrease overall inflammation.⁵

4) Body weight

Overweight and obese children are at higher risk for developing asthma than normal-weight children, and this risk increases as the level of obesity increases.⁵ Obesity is also linked to worse asthma control and higher asthma flare-ups, hospitalizations, and emergency visits.⁵ These studies were also proven in adults, which showed that weight loss contributed to improvements in asthma control and lung function.⁵

How does weight loss help patients with asthma? This can be connected to the inflammation that occurs in obesity. Like in saturated fatty acids, the fat in our body releases molecules that promote inflammation, which eventually cause the narrowing of our airways in asthma.⁵

To help reduce body weight, exercise is a must. Children aged 3 to 5 should be physically active throughout the day, and children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 should have at least 60 minutes daily of intensive physical activity, like running, climbing, and jumping.⁸ Adults should get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity aerobic activity.⁸ Examples of activities include brisk walking, aerobics, dancing, gardening, and biking.

5) Herbal plants or herbal medicines for asthma in the Philippines

Herbal plants and medicine are a vital part of Philippine healthcare. In fact, there are several plants that have been shown to improve asthma symptoms and they are even used to formulate new anti-asthma drugs.⁹ Examples include ginkgo biloba, onion, ginger, thyme, and fern.⁹ More famous in the Philippines is Vitex negundo, also known as lagundi. Lagundi activates and increases certain molecules in the body that improve lung injury and decrease overall inflammation in the lungs.⁹ Because of this, there are several lagundi benefits for asthma; it helps reduce fever, breaks up mucus, improves phlegm color, and decreases wheezing and cough.¹⁰ However, it is important to consult your doctor before taking any herbal drinks or supplements to ensure they will not interfere with your existing medications.

While medications and avoiding triggers are key to managing asthma, a healthy diet and regular exercise also play important roles. Eating more fruits, vegetables, and fiber, choosing healthy fats, maintaining vitamin D levels, and managing weight can reduce inflammation and improve asthma symptoms. Combined with proper treatment, these lifestyle habits support better asthma control and overall health.

Learn more about how to BreatheBetter with asthma here.

These are just guides, and does not replace your doctor's advice. It is always best to consult your doctor.

Approval ID: PH-13083