Fish Oils and Exercise Induced Asthma

By Dr. Travis Morgan

      If you suffer from exercise induced asthma I have good news for you.  A recent study published in the medical journal Chest has proposed using high doses of fish oils to help prevent attacks. 

The researchers gave study participants 5.2 grams combined of docosahexanoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), commonly found in fish oils, for three weeks.  At the end of the trial subjects exhibited a 31% decrease in bronchodilator (medication) use.  Incredibly the people who took the fish oils improved so much that they were “below the diagnostic exercised-induced bronchoconstriction threshold”.  They still had some symptoms but could not be labeled asthmatic anymore. 

It is important to note that if you are just taking a regular fish oil capsule you will not get the results you want.  The dosages they used were quite high.  To get to these levels you will need a high concentration, pharmaceutical grade fish oil.  These are available at any health food store. Usually you will need to take actual oil not a capsule and you definitely will not be able to eat enough fish to get these levels.

To determine how much you need, add up the EPA and DHA content of the oil (the numbers are found on the side of the bottle).  This study used 5.2 g combined of DHA and EPA on the product I take that is about 4 teaspoons per day.   

Prevention is really the best way to go.  Waiting for something to happen and then taking care of it is a loosing battle.  You would not wait until your engine seized before changing the oil so why wait until you have an attack to fix your asthma.  With the air quality problems we have in Prince George this may be the difference between being in the game and sitting on the sidelines. 

As always consult an informed, qualified health care provider before changing your medication regiment. 

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