Good diet and exercise help reduce asthma

EATING well and getting fit can reduce symptoms of asthma, a study has found.

Following a healthy diet and exercising three times a week helped halve symptoms in just two months.

The findings offer hope of a simple solution for 5.4million Britons receiving treatment for asthma.

Danish researchers tested 125 asthma patients for eight weeks. Those who took three exercise classes a week and ate a diet rich in protein, fruit and vegetables, rated their symptoms 50 per cent lower than patients who did nothing.

The diet was based around low glycaemic index foods, which release sugar slowly and help maintain a well-balanced metabolism. The study, presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Milan, found that participants who altered either their exercise or diet, but not both, reported a 30 per cent improvement.

Study leader Dr Louise Toennesen, from Bispebjerg Hospital in Copenhagen, said the findings ‘can help patients control their asthma symptoms and enjoy a better quality of life’. Dr Samantha Walker, of Asthma UK, said: ‘Some people with asthma feel anxious about exercising because it can make them feel breathless or trigger asthma attacks, but there is no reason why you shouldn’t be able to take part in physical activities.’