Yogurt can help arthritis and asthma

♦ Yogurt may alleviate symptoms of arthritis and asthma. A new study found a daily intake helped dampen the inflammation which contributes to the conditions by improving the lining of the intestine.

As well as arthritis and asthma, chronic inflammation is known to be a factor in cardiovascular disease, obesity and metabolic syndromes.

The new study involved 120 premenopausal women, half obese and half non-obese. Half the participants were assigned to eat 12 ounces of low-fat yogurt every day for nine weeks and a control group ate non-dairy pudding for nine weeks.

Published in the British Journal of Nutrition, the results from the research team at the University of Wisconsin showed that the yogurteaters experienced significant improvements in TNF, an important inflammation-activating protein.

“Ongoing consumption of yogurt may be having a general antiinflammatory effect,” said Professor Brad Bolling, who led the research.