Stress asthma (also known as post-exercise asthma) usually occurs after exercise. 5 to 10 minutes after exercise, the person begins to cough and make wheezing noises with each breath.
Researchers at the University of Nottingham found that consuming prebiotics could improve these asthma attacks.
A study on 10 people
For their study, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, the researchers enrolled 10 people with exercise-induced asthma and 10 people in a control group. They compared the effects of a prebiotic based on bimuno-galactooligosaccharides (B-GOS) with a placebo whose taste and nature were identical. All participants took these supplements for three weeks.
Then they did laboratory tests for hyperventilation, which causes asthma attacks in people who are prone to it. Respiratory functions were studied and a blood sample was taken to check for markers of inflammation.
Act on the good bacteria in the intestine
The researchers noted that prebiotics significantly reduced these inflammatory markers and lowered the severity of asthma attacks.
“We are only just beginning to understand the role that the gut microbiomeplays in the disease and it becomes more and more obvious that the bacteria which live in the intestine can have an important influence in the diseases of the respiratory tract “ says Dr. Neil Williams, lead author of the study.
“B-GOS works by increasing the growth and activity of good bacteria in the gut. This helps reduce the inflammatory response of the airways in patients with exercise-induced asthma.” he concludes.
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