Research Discovers Potential Cure For Asthma
By
Etok Okon
A medical researcher, Prof. Andreas
Lopata has discovered consumption of fresh fish as potential remedy for asthma,
a disease of the respiratory system believed to be reactions to allergies.
Lopata, a Professor at the Institute of Tropical
Health and Medicine, James Cook University, Australia, made this known in the
research published on Tuesday 19, March, 2019 in the medium “Sciencedaily”.
He noted that asthma incidence has
almost doubled in the last thirty years, and added that nearly half of asthma
cases have not responded to treatment with available drugs, thus the “growing
interest in non-drug treatment options”.
Prof. Lopata further stressed that there
is an increasing consumption of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUF) found in
vegetables oils and a decrease in consumption of marine oils. He noted further
that there has been a global shift from fresh fish to fast food. He said also,
“we found that certain types of n-3 from marine oils were significantly
associated with a decreased risk of having asthma or asthma-like symptoms by up
to 62%, while high n-6 consumption from vegetable oils was associated with an
increased risk by up to 67%”. He however, opined that the evidence shows the
inflammatory role of n-6 in the development of asthma and more evidence that
n-3 gives significant protection.
The medical researcher argued, “even if
you factor in contaminant such as mercury found in some fish populations, the
benefits of fish and seafood (lobsters, prawns, crabs, shrimps and squads)
intake far more outweigh the potential risk”.
The researcher hinted that the institute
was yet to carryout researches on what effect specific types of n-3 would have
and how their beneficial role could be optimized and how the negative effects
of the n-6 could be reduced.
However, it is on record according to
the World Health Organization (WHO) that no fewer than 334 million suffer from
asthma globally with prevalence ranging from 1% to 18%, and that a quarter of a
million people die every year of the disease. WHO also, estimates that asthma
is responsible for the loss of 15 million disability-adjusted lives per year.
In Nigeria, asthma is second to
pulmonary tuberculosis responsible for childhood chronic respiratory disorder.
©The
Sensor Newspaper
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