A ketogenic diet fights asthma

innate lymphocytes (blue) store fatty acids in small fat droplets (green). Photo credit: Dr. Fotios Karagiannis/Uni Bonn
diet is helpful for some asthma cases? A new study by the University of Bonn in Germany found that mice on a ketogenic diet had significantly reduced respiratory inflammation. The paper was published April 7 in Immunization.
asthma sufferers react even with certain low-concentration allergens, accompanied by severe bronchial inflammation, which makes breathing more difficult as mucus secretion increases. Cells of the innate immune system play a central role here, and these innate lymphocytes (LCCs) allow the body to quickly repair damage caused by pathogens or harmful substances. The mucus then transports the substance out of the bronchus to protect the airways from infection.
Christopher Wilhelm, a professor at the University of Bonn's Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Pharmacology, says the inflammatory response is much stronger and longer than normal in people with asthma. The consequences are severe breathing difficulties and may even be life-threatening. So the researchers analyzed which metabolic processes were active when the ILC switched to reproductive mode, and then tried to block these metabolic pathways, reducing the rate of cell division.
researchers say some metabolic pathways are more active in ILC division to ensure cells get the energy and basic materials they need to reproduce. For example, the fatty acids needed to make cell membranes. Activated ILC absorbs fatty acids from the environment and stores them in small droplets for a short period of time, which are then used as energy or to build cell membranes.
researchers asked mice with asthma to eat foods that contained mainly fat but contained almost no carbohydrates or protein. This diet is also known as the ketogenic diet. The results showed that the cell metabolism of the mice changed: the cells obtained the energy they needed from burning fat. However, this means that they begin to lack fatty acids, which are needed to form new cell membranes during cell division.
result, the ILC division of rodents that ate special foods decreased significantly. Under normal circumstances, exposure to allergens can increase the number of bronchy ILC fourfold, and in these experimental animals, the ILC is virtually unchanged, the researchers said. Mucus production and other asthma symptoms are also reduced.
not only due to the transformation of fat as an alternative energy source and the shortage of fatty acids, glucose deficiency may also directly lead to a decrease in ILC activity. Scientists are now trying to figure out whether a ketogenic diet can prevent asthma attacks. However, this diet is not completely free of long-term risks and can only be consumed if a doctor is consulted. "So we're trying to determine which ingredients in the diet changes are working, and maybe that will open the door to the development of new drugs." Wilhelm said. (Source: Lu Yi, China Science Journal)
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