CAFFEINE CAN REDUCE ASTHMA SYMPTOMS

A study presented at a conference at the American College of Sports Medicine found that those who ingested caffeine within an hour of exercise reduced their symptoms of exercise-induced asthma (EIA), which is characterised as a shortness of breath during sustained aerobic activity.

The randomised, double-blind, double-dummy crossover study was led by University of Utah researcher Timothy A. VanHaitsma and fellow researchers at Indiana University and involved ten asthmatic people who had also had EIA. Each took either three, six, or nine milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight or a placebo, an hour before exercising on a treadmill. Tests of pulmonary function were taken 15 minutes before exercise commenced, then again 1, 5, 10, 15 and 30 minutes after the exercise stopped.

At nine milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight, considered a large dose, the effects were comparable to using an albuterol inhaler, something commonly used to prevent or treat EIA. This would be the equivalent of about six cups of coffee. Smaller amounts of caffeine, such as three and 6 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, were also found to be useful, reducing coughing, wheezing and other EIA symptoms.

All participants received all doses, including the placebo, at one point or another during the experiment.

Associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and a co-investigator of the study, Timothy Mickleborough, said that no additional benefit was found when caffeine was combined with an albuterol inhaler.

For someone who weighs 150 pounds, for example, 3 to 9 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight equals from about 205 to 610 milligrams of caffeine. This study adds to earlier work that found caffeine can reduce the symptoms of EIA and is the first to examine any synergistic effect of caffeine use along with an albuterol inhaler.

Mickleborough and his fellow researchers have also investigated the efficacy of a number of nutritional factors on EIA, with research to date showing that a diet high in fish oil and antioxidants and low in salt has the potential to reduce the severity of EIA and perhaps reduce the reliance on pharmacotherapy. With growing concern about the potential side effects of inhaled corticosteroid use, this is especially important. Also, prolonged usage of daily medications can result in their reduced effectiveness.



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