Fiber Prevents Asthma
Fiber improves the health of the gut microbiota, reducing inflammation in the lungs and making them less sensitive to allergens.
Increasing the consumption of fruits, vegetables and whole grains can be a very effective treatment to prevent asthma attacks.
A study conducted at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland), led by Dr. Benjamin Marsland, has shown that an increase in fiber intake reduces inflammation in the lungs, making them less sensitive to allergens.
Fiber feeds bacteria with anti-inflammatory effect
The reason is that fiber modifies the composition of the intestinal microbiota – specifically, fiber modifies the proportions of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes – and strengthens the populations of intestinal bacteria that release short-chain fatty acids with anti-inflammatory properties.
Improves immunity
“Our results show that fermentable dietary fiber and short-chain fatty acids can modify the immune environment in the lungs and influence the severity of allergic inflammation,” the authors write.
Scientists claim that these types of fatty acids send signals to the immune system and increase the resistance of lung tissues to irritation.
People who eat little fiber experience the opposite process and are more vulnerable to asthma.
The study has been carried out with laboratory mice, but the results are considered to be extrapolated to people.
Reducing fiber in the diet increases allergies
Various groups of animals were fed different amounts of fiber and then subjected to a dusty atmosphere. The mice that consumed the most fiber suffered fewer respiratory symptoms.
The authors believe that the increase in the consumption of refined foods and the decrease in the intake of legumes and vegetables over the last decades is largely responsible for the increase in the incidence of asthma in industrialized countries. In Spain, one in ten children already suffers from asthma.
Foods rich in beneficial fermentable fiber
The fermentable fiber that is beneficial is found in foods such as flax seeds and chia, in fruits such as cooked apples, grapes and bananas, in legumes such as chickpeas and lentils, in vegetables such as asparagus and onions or in cereals such as oats.
