Reduced medication use and improved pulmonary function with supplements containing vegetable and fruit concentrate, fish oil and probiotics in asthmatic school children: a randomised controlled trial.

Dietary pattern changes may be one of the key factors associated with increasing asthma prevalence. Observational studies have found negative associations between fruit, vegetable and fish consumption and risk of asthma. Experimental studies have also shown that probiotics can modulate the immune system. However, each dietary component exhibits a modest effect. The objective of the present study was to investigate the joint effect of multiple beneficial dietary components on asthma. We designed a 16-week school-based double-blind placebo-controlled randomised trial. The supplement group received fruit plus vegetable concentrate, fish oil and probiotics (FVFP supplement), while the control group received placebos. A total of 192 asthmatic children aged 10-12 years were recruited from elementary schools in metropolitan Taipei. Pulmonary function, medication usage, Paediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) score and the Childhood Asthma Control Test score were evaluated at baseline, and at weeks 8 and 16. Compared with the placebo group, the supplement group showed significant improvement in pulmonary function parameters (91 v. 178 ml for forced vital capacity (FVC), 40 v. 107 ml for forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) and 1·6 v. 4·8 % for FEV1:FVC ratio; all P values < 0·01) and had a significantly reduced proportion of those using short-acting inhaled bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids. However, the PAQLQ score and the Childhood Asthma Control Test score were not significantly different between the two groups, possibly because the majority of the children were treated routinely. FVFP supplements reduced medication use and improved pulmonary function in asthmatic children. The present study supports an adjuvant intervention with a combination of fruit, vegetable, fish and probiotic foods.

Trends in hyperuricemia and gout prevalence: Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan from 1993-1996 to 2005-2008.

Hyperuricemia is a recognized risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This study investigated trends in uric acid levels, hyperuricemia and gout among adults in Taiwan from 1993-1996 to 2005-2008, using data collection from, Nutrition and health surveys in Taiwan (NAHSIT) conducted in 1993-1996 and 2005-2008. Information on food frequency, medical history, physical measures and fasting blood parameters were analyzed. Mean uric acid levels decreased between 1993-1996 and 2005-2008 in both genders (6.77 vs 6.59 mg/dL in men and 5.33 vs 4.97 mg/dL in women) and the prevalence of hyperuricemia declined from 25.3% to 22.0% in men (p<0.0001) and from 16.7% to 9.7% in women (p<0.0001). However, the prevalence of gout (self-reported) increased (4.74% vs 8.21% in men and 2.19% vs 2.33% in women, p<0.0001). Reduced rank regression was used to identify dietary patterns that explained significant amounts of variance in uric acid. Frequency of consumption of lean meat, soy products and soymilk, milk, eggs, vegetables, carrots, mushrooms, fruit and coffee were negatively associated with hyperuricemia, whereas consumption of organ meats, bamboo shoots, and soft drinks were positively associated with hyperuricemia. The dietary factor score (DFS) composed of the frequency of above food items decreased from -5.40 to -6.00 between the two surveys (p<0.0001). In conclusion, uric acid levels and prevalence of hyperuricemia both declined, whilst self-reported gout increased between 1993-1996 and 2005-2008. Changes in dietary patterns may in part explain the decrease in uric acid levels between the two national surveys.