What if we avoided asthma… with yogurt or a piece of brie?

Without anything being demonstrated, for many years, dairy products have been suspected of being potentially responsible for rhinitis in children, eczema or even wheezing, even though they are rich in micronutrients, fatty acids and probiotics. A previous Cambridge University study had even suggested that yogurt or cream could increase a child’s risk of developing allergies or asthma. Regarding the latter case, this type of research should not be taken lightly since asthma constitutes one of the most common chronic diseases. While in the United States, it is estimated that it affects 6.6 million children, in France more than four million patients are affected, including children and adults. Many risk factors have already been pointed out by the scientific community. We talked about smoking as well as exposure to chemicals, or pollution, but also pollen and stress, while genetic factors would also play a role to take into account.

A brand new study carried out by the Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, in Yazd, Iran, throws a new wrench into the pond by going against the grain of the role that had been attributed to dairy products in cases of asthma . According to a study published in Frontiers in nutrition, researchers believe that yogurt, cheese and other creams could reduce the risk of wheezing in children and adolescents. Please note, Iranian scientists clearly mention the benefits of these categories of dairy products, and not milk. The Iranian example is all the more significant since most of the studies previously carried out on the association between asthma and dairy products have been carried out in developed countries. However, a report from the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Children (ISAAC) for the years between 1998 and 2004 highlighted the prevalence of asthma among Iranian children aged 13 to 14 years. During this period alone, we even noticed an increase from 10.9 to 13.2%.

For their part, Iranian researchers from the Yazd University of Medical Sciences recall that “Middle Eastern dietary habits have unique characteristics: they contain large amounts of fruits and vegetables, rich sources of antioxidants, and large amounts of refined carbohydrates and harmful fats“. And therefore little or no dairy products. This cross-sectional study included children aged six and seven but also adolescents aged thirteen and fourteen. In particular, eating habits were monitored for twelve months.

To understand this potential link between asthma and yogurts and others, scientists point out that “The prebiotic activity of dairy products likely results from stimulating the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestines, which can modulate immune responses and thus protect humans from asthma and allergies. Milk proteins, including lactalbumin, lactoglobulin and immunoglobulins, whey proteins such as serum albumin, lactoferrin and lactoperoxidase, as well as various enzymes and cytokines present in dairy products are thought to cause this protective effect“.

However, the authors make it clear that we should not be too hasty in concluding. Impossible to indicate dairy products as protectors against asthma. Not only do other studies need to be carried out to confirm these results, but wheezing is not always caused by asthma but also by other diseases such as gastroesophageal reflux or persistent bacterial bronchitis.