The number of asthma sufferers is rapidly rising in the United States, especially in children. From 1980 to 1987, the rate of physician-diagnosed asthma in people younger than 20 years of age increased 43 percent from 35 to 50 cases per 1,000. Reasons scientists often give to explain the rise in asthma include: increased stress on the immune system (because of factors such as greater chemical pollution in the air, water, and food), earlier weaning and earlier introduction of solid foods to infants, use of food additives, and genetic manipulation of plants resulting in food components with greater allergenic tendencies.

A recent study sought the answer to a very important question could deficiencies in dietary antioxidants contribute to asthma?13 There is substantial evidence to suggest such a correlation. Vitamin C intake in the general population appears to correlate with asthma, indicating low vitamin C (in the diet and the blood) is an independent risk factor for asthma. Children of smokers have a higher rate of asthma (cigarette smoke depletes respiratory vitamin C and E levels) than do children of non-smokers, and symptoms of ongoing asthma in adults appear to be increased by exposure to environmental pro-oxidants and decreased by vitamin C supplementation.

For further evidence, you only need to look at the physiological roles of vitamin C in the lungs. Vitamin C is the major antioxidant substance in the airway surface area of the lungs, where it plays an important role in protecting against both endogenous-and exogenous-induced oxidative damage. Nitrogen oxides are oxidants that can arise from both endogenous and exogenous sources. Vitamin C offers significant protection against nitrogen oxide damage in the lungs in animal models.

From a clinical perspective, asthmatics have a higher need for vitamin C than do members of the general population. Since 1973 there have been 11 clinical studies of vitamin C supplementation in asthma. Seven of these studies showed significant improvements in respiratory measures and asthma symptoms as a result of supplementing the diet with 1 to 2 grams of vitamin C daily. This dosage recommendation appears extremely wise based on the increasing exposure to inhaled oxidants along with the growing appreciation on the antioxidant function of vitamin C in the respiratory system.

High-dose vitamin C therapy may also help asthmatics by lowering histamine levels. Of course, this effect has value in other allergic conditions as well. Vitamin C’s importance as a natural antihistamine has emerged for several reasons, including concern over the safety of antihistamine medications and recently recognized immune-suppressing effects of histamine. In the initial stages of an immune response, histamine amplifies the immune response by increasing capillary permeability and smooth muscle contraction, thus enhancing the flow of immune factors to the site of infection. Subsequently, histamine exerts a suppressive effect on the accumulated white blood cells in an attempt to contain the inflammatory response.

Vitamin C exerts a number of effects against histamine. Specifically it prevents the secretion of histamine by white blood cells and increases the detoxification of histamine. A recent study examined the antihistamine effect of acute and chronic vitamin C administration and its effect on white blood cell (neutrophil) function in healthy men and women. In the chronic study, 10 subjects ingested a placebo during weeks 1,2,5, and 6, and 2 grams per day of vitamin C during weeks 3 and 4. Fasting blood samples were collected after the initial 2-week period (baseline) and at the end of weeks 4 and 6. Blood vitamin C levels rose significantly following vitamin C administration, while blood histamine levels fell by 38 percent during the weeks vitamin C was given. The ability of white blood cells to move in response to an infection (chemotaxis) increased by 19 percent during vitamin C administration and fell 30 percent after vitamin C withdrawal. However, these changes were linked to histamine concentrations. Chemotaxis was greatest when histamine levels were the lowest. In the part of the study looking at the acute effects of vitamin C, blood histamine concentrations and chemotaxis did not change 4 hours following a single dose of vitamin C. This result suggests that vitamin C lowers blood histamine only if taken over a period of time. Individuals prone to allergy or inflammation should increase their consumption of vitamin C through supplementation.

Author Bio: Georgiy Kharchenko American Weight Loss Group LLC: Personal Trainer, Ephedra Products, Stimerex With Ephedra, lipodrene with ephedra

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