Fatty Acid Supports Lung Health and Weight Reduction in Asthmatics

by CP Staff

Researchers have found that supplementation with conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) may benefit individuals with asthma. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology reports that an estimated 34.1 million Americans have been diagnosed with asthma by a health professional during their lifetime. Also noteworthy, the Academy states that the incidence of asthma has increased by 75 percent from 1980 to 1994, and asthma rates have increased by 160 percent during the same time frame in children under the age of 5. Two important risk factors for the development and severity of asthma include airway hyper-responsiveness and obesity.

In this new, prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, researchers investigated the effect of supplementation with CLA in adults with asthma. The subjects included 28 adults between 19 and 40 years of age with mild asthma, diagnosed using the pulmonary function test FEV1 (Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second) of less then 70 percent of predicted normal values. The subjects received either 4.5 grams per day of CLA or placebo for 12 weeks in addition to their normal treatment. The subjects were evaluated for body mass index (BMI), weight, airway hyper-responsiveness, quality-of life and sputum cell counts. Blood tests were also conducted to determine systemic cytokine levels, which play a role in inflammation, and leptin/adiponectin ratios, which are hormones secreted from fat cells and are related to BMI.

The results showed that on average, the subjects were overweight. The subjects that received CLA supplementation had a significant reduction in airway hyper-responsiveness after 12 weeks of supplementation compared to airway hyper-responsiveness at beginning of the study. The group supplemented with CLA also showed significant reduction in weight, BMI and leptin/adiponectin ratio compared to the placebo group. There was no difference between the groups in quality-of life, adverse events, systemic cytokines and sputum cell counts.

The researchers concluded, “CLA treatment as an adjunct to usual care in overweight mild asthmatics was well tolerated and was associated with improvements in airway hyper-responsiveness and BMI.”

Reference:

Macredmond R, Singhera G, Attridge S, Bahzad M, Fava C, Lai Y, Hallstrand TS, Dorscheid DR. Conjugated linoleic acid improves airway hyper-reactivity in overweight mild asthmatics. Clin Exp Allergy. 2010 Jul;40(7):1071-8.