Bread & asthma

[Sewnso]

I decided to lay off bread for a while due to non asthma related issues. Today I realised I haven’t felt as breathless, I am wondering if this is just a coincidence.

[Bevvy]

There are theories that reducing carbs can help with a multitude of health issues. Therefore reducing bread consumption (ie carbs) may help…..

[MMBJI]

Hi Sewnso,

I have struggled with my asthma since an attack in 2019. One of the things I have done (amongst a miriad of clutching at straws,) was to cut out gluten. I didn’t notice much of a difference but when I accidentally ate some biscuits my chest tightened up straight away. I haven’t tested my reaction again, kinda scared to risk any triggers. I now have no gluten.

[Sewnso in reply to MMBJI]

That’s interesting, I am overdue an asthma review. I will make an appointment today and ask the nurse when I see her.

[Supermoto]

Hi there,iv had asthma for all my life,steadily getting worse over the yrs,any way to cut a long story short bread does the same for me,mind you so does most other foods,I eat plain chicken and rice and 5 days in my asthma goes away , I have found that sugars are one of the main players in my asthma , garlic,salt,onions are others,its hard because I'm intolerant to these things I dont a reaction that day its usually 72hrs later,it can then take 5 days to clear so as you can imagine its very hard to isolate things,its just trial and error

[Emer1000]

Same, try antihistamines if you accidentally eat gluten / wheat (ask your doc)

[Sewnso in reply to Emer1000]

I take antihistamine most of the time especially in the summer.

[Poobah]

My asthma has been much better since I started my low carb eating plan last year. I will treat myself to potatoes when I eat out, but my breathing is definitely affected afterwards depending on the quantity eaten. I did have an afternoon tea on one occasion and that really affected my breathing. I don't know if it's the bulk of the carbs or the carbs themselves that's the trigger. Maybe processed carbs are worse (gas & bloating)? I know ultra processed foods make me very wheezy. I avoid anything with high omega 6 (soya and palm oil being good examples). Soya is in so many processed foods these days, including baked goods, even bread.

Anyway, my asthma nurse is really pleased and I was able to stop my LAMA inhaler after 12 weeks and she recently reduced my Fostair doseage by 25% and she hopes to reduce it by a further 25% in a few weeks time. I have non-eosinophilic asthma, so not sure if phenotype plays a role in how diet affects the individual patient.

A quick Google search came up with this recent article about early research (NB the Bonn University scientists note that more research is needed): sciencedaily.com/releases/2...

[Gwalltarian]

Amongst other things I am allergic to yeast, I avoid bread where possible. I recently read an article on histamine rich foods : alcohol and other fermented beverages/foods - yoghurt and sauerkraut. There was also a long list of goods that trigger histamine release: alcohol, bananas, tomatoes, wheat germ, beans, papaya, chocolate, citrus fruits, spinach, frozen salted or canned fish, vinegar, tomato ketchup, sour dough bread, pineapple, aubergine, walnuts, cashews, peanuts, dried fruit, aged cheese and shellfish. In addition prescription drugs and others can interfere with breakdown of histamines : theophylline, antibiotics, heart medication, anti depressants, diuretics, muscle relaxers. pain med: naproxen, aspirin, diclofenax and gastro intestinal meds.Your reaction to anything can be determined by the threshold level beyond which your body reacts and you probably won’t react to everything.

I found it interesting that as a child the only treatment offered to me was Theophylline and it always took me three weeks to recover from an attack and I always felt strange even then. The fumes from vinegar/wine used in cooking or cleaning sets off an asthma attack and so does drinking wine.

[Sewnso]

So sorry to hear you have an allergy to so many foods.