By Dean L. Jones

Asthma is a lung disease described as a chronic respiratory illness constricting the breathing passages.  Annually, 1 in 9 Americans are inflicted with at least one asthma attack.  The medical community commonly recommends for preventing asthma attacks to avoid allergens, since allergens can cause inflammation of the bronchial tubes.  For all intents and purposes, any inflammation of the airways can trigger an asthma attack, and is not limited to pet hair, plant pollen, air pollution, dust mites, and so on.

In view of that, when it comes to what asthmatics should eat and drink the customary focus is on eliminating dairy products like milk and cheese that are known to produce mucus.  The reason being is mucus thickens natural secretions in airways and constricts air passages, which is why it is recommended that asthmatics stay well hydrated, as water thins mucus secretions, thereby keeping bronchial passages more open.

All the same, one must stay sugar alert surrounding the choices of ingesting processed foodstuff since there is a connection between asthma and processed sugar consumption, as processed sugar is an inflammatory agent when ingested into the body.  This fact was documented nearly eighty-five years ago when in 1931 a Nobel Prize for medicine was awarded to German biochemist Otto Heinrich Warburg for his discoveries surrounding the negative respiratory effects of human cells and the metabolism of cancerous tumors.  He is credited with clearly showing how tumors thrive in acidic conditions from consuming processed foods, especially those with processed sugar.

This time of year when school reopens doctors frequently report an increase in reported asthma attacks.  Naturally, some asthma attacks are brought about with the new school activities and consequently literally forgetting to use or locate inhalers at the appropriate time.  Even if, asthma sufferers should consider that when their activities increase so does their respective needs to make decisions and eating is one that easily falls victim to making poorly rushed choices.

Fast food items use processed sugar to enhance taste and this one ingredient can show up frequently leading to an over activated pancreas organ, which can then lead to inflammation in various sites throughout the body.  The pancreas is a small organ that produces insulin and functions for releasing hormones affecting levels of sugar in the blood.  When pumped with processed sugar it can over-react and produce too much insulin or too many sugars into the blood, then inflammation in the air passages can occur.

To finish, be mindful of pharmaceutical commercials describing products to help with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).  These advertisements talk about people having shortness of breath and such symptoms may not be asthma but COPD, particularly for older adults who have smoked cigarettes.  Well, shortness of breath can stem from a lot of things that even may prescribe to living more SugarAlert!

www.SugarAlert.com
Mr. Jones is a marketing strategist with the Southland Partnership Corporation (a public benefit organization), sharing his view on mismanagement practices of packaged foods & beverages.