Asthma Sufferers Beware of Fast Food

As if asthma sufferers did not have enough to worry about, a new study indicates a meal that includes a burger and fries may trigger an asthma attack. High-fat meals have been found to trigger inflammation in the airways, prompting an asthma attack. This new information adds to the growing list of asthma triggers that already include smoking, allergies, and physical activity for most.

Researchers in Australia tested 40 people who had asthma. Lisa Wood of the University of Newcastle led the study. Wood and her team took sputum samples from the participants before they were asked to eat a meal. One group was asked to eat a high-fat meal that included a fast food hamburger and an order of hash browns. The meal included 1000 calories with 52 percent of the calories coming from fat. Another group was given a 200 calorie low-fat meal that included reduced fat yogurt, just 13 percent of the calories coming from fat.

Sputum samples were taken after the participants finished their meals. Those that consumed the high-fat meals had an increased rate of airway neutrophils. Neutrophils are a white blood cell that appears during an asthma attack. Researchers were surprised to discover that after consuming the high-fat meal the effectiveness of albuterol was reduced. Albuterol is a common medicine in inhalers that asthma sufferers use to stop an asthma attack. The weight of the participants did not make any difference in their reactions to the high-fat diet.

The study has been presented at the American Thoracic Society conference in New Orleans.