Children are not advised to use omega-3 fatty acids for this purpose, and it would be more safe in children to increase omega-fatty acids with cold water fish consumption.
Omega-3 Fish Oil for Asthma Adverse Reactions and Interactions:
- A total of 10 studies were reviewed by Villani AM et al to determine potential serious adverse effects of fish oil at a dose of under 1.86 grams per day (21 It was found that there were no serious adverse effects reported in 994 adults over 59 years of age and other non-serious adverse effects were not significantly different from placebo (28).
- Fish oil has been reported to affect platelet aggregation, reduce vitamin K dependent factors which may be associated with an increased anticoagulation (reduce blood clotting) effect. Consumption should be avoided when taking anticoagulants like aspirin, warfarin, or ticlopidine because of the potential increased risk of bleeding (27).
- A case of a 67-year old woman taking warfarin (1.5 mg/day), an increase in her fish oil intake from 1 g/day to 2 g/day was associated with an increase in time for blood to clot as measured by the international normalized ratio (INR) which went from 2.8 to 4.3 within 1month, and decreased to 1.6 after the fish oil dose was reduced (24).
- An intake of 6 grams per day of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) found no significant difference found in blood coagulation, platelet function, or thrombotic parameters including prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, antithrombin-III levels, and platelet aggregation (26).
- Fish oil may contain harmful contaminants such as heavy metals including mercury, dioxins, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). This risk can be reduced by purchasing fish oil that has undergone a purification process speciied on the label (approved by the FDA, EPA, or US Pharmacopeia) (25).
- Make sure the label states “purified to eliminate mercury and PCBs.”
Conclusion: Asthma Natural Supplements For Adults With Allergies
- Work with your physician to achieve long term control of asthma with medication as needed and use medication to prevent exercise induced asthma symptoms. Understand the effect of asthma medications on rest and exercise. Ask your physician if it is safe for you to try asthma natural supplements for adults with allergies.
- Consume a variety of vitamin C containing fruits and vegetables throughout each day such as strawberries, citrus, kiwifruit, broccoli, green peppers, and vegetable juice. Fruit intake was associated with less wheezing, shortness of breath, and cough in children with and without asthma.
- Yoga was found to reduce weekly number of attacks of asthma, scores for drug treatment, and peak flows.
- Consider caffeine for improving lung function in adults. The doses used in the studies mentioned are fairly high amounts of coffee (equivalent to 3-4 cups) which may improve lung function for a duration of 2-4 hours after ingestion. Caffeine taken in moderation has been generally recognized as safe by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and American Medical Association (AMA). However, caffeine interacts with hundreds of medications and affects the retention and secretion of many nutrients. The stimulant effects of caffeine cause many substantial adverse health effects. If more than 1-2 cups of caffeinated beverages are consumed per day, it is prudent to seek physician and/or pharmacist approval of caffeine consumption with any medications or supplements. Caffeine may increase risk for cardiovascular disease events and stroke.
- Multi-nutrient supplements and herbs may offer some benefit if approved by physician but require more studies to ensure safety and efficacy.
- In one study non-vegetarians were found to have a higher incidence of asthma than vegetarians.
- In a German prospective, non-randomized, open trial, adults who took 50 mg butterbur extract 3 times a day and children who took 50-150 mg daily depending on age, saw the number, duration, and severity of their asthma attacks decrease during an eight-week study period. See the butterbur section for adverse reactions and interactions.
- Consider Pycnogenol as one of the asthma natural supplements for adults with allergies.. Compared to placebo, individuals suffering from asthma had improvement of symptoms with use of Pycnogenol at a dose of 1 mg per pound per day with a maximum dose of 200 mg per day. Belcaro G, et al found that Pycnogenol taken in additional to inhaled steroids used for asthma control, 55% of patients were able to reduce the amount of inhaled steroids needed to control their asthma (18). Pycnogenol has been established as generally safe in doses of about 1 mg per pound of body weight. It likely affects platelets and may prolong the time for blood to clot. Therefore it should not be taken with anti-platelet or anticoagulation agents such as aspirin, Plavix, heparin, warfarin, Pradaxa, and NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). It should be discontinued 2 weeks before surgery.
- Cocoa and chocolate have a significant effect on lung function due to the theobromine and theophylline content. Simons FE et al found that an average dose of 468 mg of theobromine and an average dose of 249 mg of theophylline each separately promoted significant improvements in all pulmonary function tests (19). 468 mg of theobromine is equivalent to about 50 grams of a dark chocolate bar containing 70-90% cocoa (standard chocolate bars contain 100 grams of dark chocolate). Dark chocolate is less palatable than milk chocolate, but contains much more theobromine per given amount of fat content. Cocoa powder may also be mixed into a drink or used in a recipe of choice. Chocolate and cocoa is also known to act as a cough suppressant (20).
- Cocoa and chocolate contains caffeine and theobromine. Caffeine intake up to 300 mg per day is generally safe for healthy adults. Older patients or those with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, or cerebrovascular disease should avoid more than 1-2 cups of caffeinated beverages per day (no more than 100-200 mg of cafeine intake per day). One cup of coffee contains on average, about 100 mg of caffeine. Each standard sized milk chocolate bar such as Hershey’s contains about 10 mg of caffeine, and each standard size dark chocolate bar contains about 31 mg of caffeine. Standard caffeine intake is generally recognized as safe by the FDA and AMA but can be dangerous with adverse effects such as high bp, stroke, and arrythmias reported. If more than 1-2 cups of caffeinated beverages are consumed per day, it is prudent to seek physician and/or pharmacist approval of caffeine consumption with any medications or supplements. Cocoa and chocolate also contains theobromine which is known to act as a stimulant, vasodilator, and diuretic (21). Theobromine and cocoa may intensify the blood pressure lowering effects of any blood pressure medications.
- Gupta and Gaur evaluated choline for its effect upon control of asthma and found that 500-1000 mg of choline resulted in statistically significant lower frequency of asthma symptoms and more days without symptoms compared to placebo, and there was a statistically significant decrease in asthma medications for the high dose choline group (22).
- Studies suggest that both consumption of fish containing omega-3 fatty acids, and supplementing with omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil may reduce the risk of asthma possibly as high as 30%, but research is not conclusive at this point and requires further investigation. Consumption of fish with omega 3 fatty acids and supplements containing fish oil appears to have more benefits than risk, and is worthwhile to see if it makes a difference in symptoms of asthma. (23)
- Children are not advised to use omega-3 fatty acids for asthma, and it would be more safe in this population to increase omega-fatty acids with cold water fish consumption.
References for Asthma Natural Supplements for Adults With Allergies
1.Schwartz J, Weiss ST. Relationship between dietary vitamin C intake and pulmonary function in the First National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I). Am J Clin Nutr 1994;59:110-14. http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/59/1/110.long