Preventing Asthma With A Whole Food Plant Based Diet
An international study of more than a million children revealed that children who suffered from asthma ate far less fruits and vegetables than children who did. The study found a 20 to 60 times difference in asthma rates in children around the world.
Since the difference in asthma rates was so great in one place compared to another, that suggested that the differences were caused local environmental factors. There was some association with cigarette smoke and air pollution, but the most significant associations were with diet.
There is was a significant and consistent association with the reduction of asthma and the increased consumption of fruits and vegetables. The more children’s calories and proteins came from plants, the less asthma and allergies they had.
Cross-sectional studies have shown that the prevalence of asthma is lower in countries where people’s diets consist mostly of plant foods. The Western diet, which is high in fat and sodium, and low in fiber and carbohydrates, is associated with asthma.
Comparing East Indian populations that consume meat and dairy to East Indian populations that eat a vegetarian diet highlights the point that is the food they eat that either contributes to or protects against asthma.
A study of Indian populations showed that Indians who consumed meat daily or even occasionally were more likely to have asthma than Indians who consumed a strictly vegetarian diet.
The consumption of eggs and soda also has a high association with asthma. A whole food plant-based diet is void of meat, eggs, dairy, and processed food and therefore is protective against asthma.
