Fish Oil for Asthma?

Childhood asthma is now a major health problem in Australia with 31 percent of West Australian children having been diagnosed with the condition. Chronic inflammation of the airways is also a major problem with 12 percent of the population reporting wheeze severe enough to disturb sleep.

Australian researchers found that children who were given fish oil supplements from the time they were weaned to age 3 were 10 percent less likely to have chronic coughs — a good predictor of asthma — than those who didn’t. The scientists believe that the fish oil, which contains anti-inflammatory fatty acids, reduces inflammation in the children’s airways.

The researchers intend to track the children as they get older, to see if the break they got as babies will translate into fewer asthma cases down the line.