Project 3: Dissecting the Diet Asthma Relationship in Mice Models of Asthma

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

The pathogenesis of asthma is a complex problem where environmental factors determine susceptibility. It is often triggered in children by allergens (from rodents, pets, dust mites and plant pollens) and irritants, especially cigarette smoke and other indoor and outdoor air pollutants. Air pollutants can exacerbate preexisting airway inflammation leading to increased airway hyper-responsiveness. The pollutants may also augment or modify immune responses to inhaled antigens or intensify the effect of other pollutants in the respiratory tract. Recent epidemiological studies revealed that diet is also a major risk factor in the pathogenesis of asthma. Most recently, dietary factors have been linked to poorer asthma health, pointing to a potential role for diet in perpetuating asthma morbidity. Insufficient intake of vitamins and other dietary nutrients during pregnancy, for example, have been associated with a greater risk of development of asthma and wheezing symptoms in children. The