Anti-oxidanten kunnen astma symptonen verminderen.* 

Indian scientists who conducted an extensive chemical analysis of blood samples from people with asthma say that beefing up levels of antioxidants may help thwart symptoms of the lung disease. Asthma is a chronic disease in which airway inflammation causes attacks of wheezing, coughing and breathlessness. The underlying causes of asthma, and the factors that trigger attacks, are under investigation. Genetics, developmental factors and environmental triggers are all believed to play important roles. Previous research has shown that a disturbance in the balance between the body's oxidant production--the formation of molecules such as free radicals that can damage tissue but are a normal byproduct of body processes--and natural antioxidant defenses is involved in asthmatics' inflammation response. Antioxidants are a class of chemicals that neutralize oxidants, and include vitamins C and E and certain substances found in fruits and vegetables. In the present study, published in an issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, researchers measured the levels of antioxidants and oxidants in the blood of 38 men and women with asthma and compared them to levels in blood samples from 23 healthy people. Dr. Ahmad Nadeem of the University of Delhi and colleagues write that asthmatic patients showed "alterations in a wide array of oxidants and antioxidants, with balance shifting toward increased oxidative stress in asthma." The good news, according to the researchers, is that "the observations in the present study also have clinical implications" for asthmatics. The findings suggest, the authors conclude, that boosting the antioxidant defenses of asthma patients could be "beneficial." SOURCE: Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2003;111:72-78.

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