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Biomedical subjects

A Fogarty

Publications and source records attributed to A Fogarty.

17 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Dietary sodium intake and asthma: an epidemiological and clinical review.

The changes in diet associated with the development of a more affluent lifestyle have been considered one of the environmental factors that may have contributed to the rise in the prevalence of asthma over the past few decades, and dietary sodium has been considered to be a dietary constituent which may be implicated in this phenomenon. The data presented in this review demonstrate that adoption of a low sodium diet for a period of 2-5 weeks may improve lung function and decrease bronchial reactivity in adults with asthma, while sodium loading appears to have a detrimental effect. Similarly, a low sodium diet maintained for 1-2 weeks decreases bronchoconstriction in response to exercise in individuals with asthma. There is no data as to the longer-term effect of a low sodium diet on either the prevalence or severity of asthma or on exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. As a low sodium diet has other beneficial health effects, it can be considered as a therapeutic option for adults with asthma, although it should be considered as an adjunctive intervention to supplement optimal pharmacological management of asthma and not as an alternative. If the relationship between higher sodium intake and increased prevalence and severity of asthma is causal, then there are potential population benefits for asthma as well as cardiovascular disease to be derived from public health measures to reduce sodium consumption.

Asthma↗
PubMed2005

Lung function and blood levels of copper, selenium, vitamin C and vitamin E in the general population.

BACKGROUND: Increased dietary intake of antioxidants has been associated with higher lung function, but few studies have used biological markers of antioxidant intake. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine if antioxidant status, as measured by blood levels, influences lung function. DESIGN: Using a random subsample of 479 participants, aged 18-65 y old, from a larger cross-sectional observational study, the association of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) with plasma copper, vitamin C, vitamin E and serum selenium was assessed. RESULTS: An s.d. increase in blood copper level was associated with a difference in FEV1 of -48 ml (95% confidence intervals: -95, -2 ml, P = 0.04), vitamin C +49 ml (+4, +94, P = 0.03), vitamin E -15 ml (-62, +32, P = 0.53) and selenium +52 ml (+7, +96, P = 0.02). The sizes of association were not appreciably altered in a mutually adjusted model. CONCLUSIONS: Higher levels of serum vitamin C and selenium appear to be associated with higher FEV1. The association between higher serum copper and lower FEV1 requires further study in view of the ubiquitous exposure to this mineral.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

A case-control study of dietary and erythrocyte membrane fatty acids in asthma.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological evidence suggests that increased dietary omega-6 and reduced omega-3 fatty acid intake, may have contributed to the rising prevalence of asthma, but these hypotheses have not been tested in studies comparing both dietary intake and objective measures of polyunsaturated fatty acids. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether a higher intake of omega-6 or a lower intake of omega-3 fatty acids increases the risk of asthma, by measuring dietary fatty acid intake by a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and erythrocyte membrane fatty acids, as an objective biomarker of intake. METHODS: We have compared individual fatty acid intake estimated by FFQ and by mass spectrometry of fasting erythrocyte cell membranes in 89 cases of asthma and 89 community-matched controls. RESULTS: The odds of asthma were increased in relation to intake of the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (odds ratio (OR) for difference between the 25th and 75th centiles of intake= 1.89, 95% CI 1.15-3.11) and docosahexaenoic acid (OR = 2.11, 95% CI 1.19-3.74). There was no evidence of any difference in erythrocyte membrane levels of omega-3 fatty acids, while the odds of asthma were reduced in relation to linoleic acid (omega-6) membrane levels (OR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.21-0.95). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that dietary omega-3 fatty acids do not play a major role in protecting against asthma, and that higher levels of erythrocyte membrane linoleic acid are associated with a lower risk of asthma.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Vitamin E supplements in asthma: a parallel group randomised placebo controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Increased dietary vitamin E intake is associated with a reduced incidence of asthma, and combinations of antioxidant supplements including vitamin E are effective in reducing ozone induced bronchoconstriction. A study was undertaken to investigate the effect of supplementation with vitamin E for 6 weeks on bronchial hyperresponsiveness in atopic adults with asthma. METHODS: 72 participants from a clinical trial register of adults with asthma were randomised to receive 500 mg natural vitamin E or matched placebo for 6 weeks in a placebo controlled, double blind parallel group clinical trial. Inclusion criteria included age 18-60 years, maintenance treatment of at least one dose of inhaled corticosteroid per day, a positive skin prick test to one of three common allergens, and bronchial hyperresponsiveness to methacholine (defined as a dose provoking a 20% fall in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV(1)) (PD(20)) of 12.25 micromol). Secondary outcomes were FEV(1), forced vital capacity, mean morning and evening peak flow, symptom scores, bronchodilator use, and serum immunoglobulin E levels. RESULTS: In the primary intention to treat analysis the change in PD(20) was similar in the vitamin E and placebo groups with a mean difference of +0.25 doubling doses of methacholine (95% confidence interval -0.67 to +1.16 greater with vitamin E). There was no effect of vitamin E supplementation on any other measure of asthma control, either in the intention to treat or per protocol analysis. There was also no effect of vitamin E supplementation on serum immunoglobulin levels. CONCLUSION: Dietary supplementation with vitamin E adds no benefit to current standard treatment in adults with mild to moderate asthma.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Amino acids and asthma: a case-control study.

Amino acids contribute to various anti-oxidant and immunological activities relevant to asthma pathogenesis, raising the possibility that differences in amino acids may be involved in asthma aetiology. The authors hypothesised that cystine reduces the risk of asthma via glutathione metabolism. Methionine, glutamine, glutamic acid and glycine may have potential protective effects, whilst arginine, phenylalanine and tryptophan may have adverse effects in asthma. Fasting plasma levels of amino acids were compared in a case-control study. A total of 89 adults, aged 18-65 yrs, with asthma controlled by inhaled corticosteroids, were recruited from a volunteer database and local primary care registers, and compared with 89 controls individually matched for age, sex and primary care centre. Contrary to the primary hypothesis, cases had higher fasting plasma cystine levels than controls, and there was no difference between cases and controls in any of the other amino acids tested, with the exception of plasma glycine, which was associated with a strongly reduced risk of asthma (odds ratio for the highest tertile compared to lowest 0.30 (95% confidence interval (0.11-0.82)). This study negates the hypothesis that higher fasting plasma cystine levels have a protective effect on the risk of asthma, although the inverse correlation with plasma glycine deserves further investigation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2003

Oral magnesium and vitamin C supplements in asthma: a parallel group randomized placebo-controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies suggest that higher intakes of dietary vitamin C and magnesium may be associated with a reduced risk of asthma. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether vitamin C or magnesium supplements improve the clinical control of asthma in primary care patients. METHODS: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind parallel group trial of 16 weeks supplementation with 1 g/day vitamin C, 450 mg/day magnesium chelate or matched placebo. Three hundred patients aged 18-60 years with physician-diagnosed asthma, controlled with at least one dose of an inhaled corticosteroid daily, were recruited from 24 primary care practices in Nottingham, UK. The main outcome measures were change in forced expiratory volume in 1 s, forced vital capacity, airway responsiveness to methacholine, mean morning and evening peak flow, symptom scores and bronchodilator use, both individually and as a combined summary statistic. RESULTS: There was no evidence of any beneficial effect of either supplement on any outcome measure of asthma control in the primary intention-to-treat analysis, or in an analysis restricted to participants who completed the study. CONCLUSIONS: Regular dietary supplementation with vitamin C or magnesium adds no clinical benefit to current standard therapy of asthma in primary care patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Dietary vitamin E, IgE concentrations, and atopy.

Vitamin E inhibits IgE responses to allergic stimuli in animals. We investigated the relation between dietary vitamin E intake and serum IgE concentrations and atopy, measured as allergen skin sensitisation, in a random sample of 2633 adults. Higher concentrations of vitamin E intake were associated with lower serum IgE concentrations and a lower frequency of allergen sensitisation. These findings may explain the beneficial effect of dietary vitamin E on the incidence of asthma.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Nutritional issues and asthma.

The effect of diet in determining the etiology and clinical severity of asthma is uncertain. Epidemiologic studies suggest that antioxidants, magnesium, and fat consumption may have an important role in etiology, though the relative importance of these individual nutrients is unclear. Interventional studies are beginning to help clarify the importance of diet in patients with asthma, and early studies suggest that antioxidants in particular may be beneficial.

Antioxidants↗
PubMed2000

International comparison of median age at death from cystic fibrosis.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To compare international trends in mortality from cystic fibrosis. DESIGN: Comparison of trends in median age at death using national mortality data. SETTING: Data from 10 countries in North America, Europe, and Australasia. PARTICIPANTS: All persons registered as having died of cystic fibrosis in specified years from 1980 to 1994. INTERVENTIONS: Comparison of relative odds of death at the international median age at death for the year of death between countries for two periods of time; from 1980 to 1987 (10 countries) and from 1980 to 1994 (7 countries). MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The international median age at death increased from 8 years in 1974 to 21 years in 1994. Median age at death also increased within all countries, was consistently highest in the United States, and varied significantly by a factor of > twofold between countries. Women were significantly more likely to die at a younger age than the median age at death than men. CONCLUSIONS: Median age at death from cystic fibrosis is increasing, but our findings imply that clinically significant differences in survival with cystic fibrosis persist between countries.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Comparing treatment intensities of tactile-thermal application.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships of four intensities of tactile-thermal application (TTA) to changes in duration of stage transition (DST) and performance on a newly designed scale of penetration and aspiration by groups of patients made dysphagic by stroke. Patients were randomly assigned to receive 150, 300, 450, or 600 trials of TTA during each of 2 weeks. Data on the time required to provide such treatment, the actual number of trials clinicians were able to provide, and on the influence of the four intensities are provided. No single intensity emerged as the most therapeutic. It is suggested that subsequent studies with larger groups include intensities between 300 and 550.

Aged↗