Daily exercise helps control asthma symptoms
Most asthma patients are discouraged from exercising believing it may trigger symptoms. But a study shows that 30 minutes of exercise everyday can help control the symptoms instead.
In a study recently published in BMJ Open Respiratory Research, experts from Concordia University, the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal and several partners* analyzed the exercise habits of 643 participants who had been diagnosed with asthma.
Those who engaged in optimal levels of physical activity on a regular basis were nearly two-and-a-half times more likely to have good control of their symptoms, compared with those who did no exercise.
The workout doesn’t have to be strenuous. “We’re not talking about running marathons here,” says Simon Bacon, the study’s lead author and a professor in the Department of Exercise Science at Concordia. “Just 30 minutes a day of walking, riding a bike, doing yoga — anything active, really — can result in significant reduction of asthma symptoms.”
Traditionally, people with the condition have been discouraged from exercising because of a belief that it triggers shortness of breath and attacks. Bacon explains that simple precautionary measures can be taken to avoid the discomforts that can be caused by physical activity.
“The issue of exercise-induced bronchospasm is real — but if you use your releaver medication, blue puffer, before you exercise, and then take the time to cool down afterwards, you should be okay,” he says. “Even if you have asthma, there’s no good reason not to get out there and exercise.”
That’s a message Bacon hopes resonates. Within his sample group of 643 individuals, a whopping 245 reported doing no physical activity. Only 100 said they engaged in the optimal 30 minutes a day.
“It would be great to see physicians recommending physical activity to patients with asthma, alongside traditional pharmacological treatments,” Bacon says.
*Partners in research: Funding support for this study was provided by grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Fonds de recherche du Quebec – Sante, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Michel Auger Foundation of Hopital du Sacre-Coeur de Montreal.
Category: Features, Wellness and Complementary Therapies
