Asthma symptoms can be improved by diet and exercise in non-obese patients
Asthma is a common and long-term condition affecting around one in ten people in the western world. The majority of patients rely on daily medicine to control symptoms and many are wary of exercise, fearing that it could induce symptoms. However, the new research suggests that taking exercise, combined with a healthy diet, could help patients gain better control of symptoms such as wheezing, chest pain and shortness of breath. The research was presented by Dr Louise Lindhardt Toennesen (MD, PhD) from Bispebjerg University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. She told the congress: "There is increasing evidence that asthma patients who are obese can benefit from a better diet and increased exercise. We wanted to see if non-obese patients with asthma could also benefit." Dr Toennesen and her colleagues worked with a group of 149 patients who were randomly assigned to one of four groups. One group were asked to follow a diet that was high in protein and with a low glycaemic...