Grantee Research Project Results
Dietary Interventions in Asthma Treatment
EPA Grant Number: R834510C002Subproject: this is subproject number 002 , established and managed by the Center Director under grant R834510
(EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
Center: Center for the Study of Childhood Asthma in the Urban Environment
Center Director: Hansel, Nadia
Title: Dietary Interventions in Asthma Treatment
Investigators: Diette, Greg
Institution: The Johns Hopkins University
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: September 1, 2009 through August 31, 2015
RFA: Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Centers (with NIEHS) (2009) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Children's Health , Human Health
Objective:
Although mouse allergen and pollutant exposures have been linked to asthma morbidity in poor minority populations, these factors do not account for most of the observed morbidity, so that additional environmental factors almost certainly contribute to asthma morbidity in this population. One intriguing environmental factor is diet since the population that is most affected by asthma morbidity and mortality poor, predominantly African American populations - have a "Western style" diet that is low in anti-oxidant foods and high in saturated fats. The ASTHMA-DIET Center's overall hypothesis is that a low anti-oxidant, pro-inflammatory diet impairs the capacity to respond to oxidative stressors, thereby increasing susceptibility to pollutant and mouse allergen exposure. In Project 2, we hypothesize that altering anti-oxidant and inflammatory characteristics of the diet will (1) prevent oxidative stress (OS), (2) reduce basophil activation, (3) reduce ainways inflammation, and (4) improve clinical outcomes in allergic asthma. We propose testing this hypothesis by conducting randomized, controlled trials of two dietary interventions: (1) broccoli sprouts (BS), which increase OS capacity in respiratory epithelium, and (2) the low-saturated fat, anti-inflammatory OmniHeart Diet (OHD). We will test the effects of BS and the OHD on OS, inflammation, basophil activation, and clinical outcomes in Baltimore City adults with mouse allergen-induced asthma.
Expected Results:
Findings from these studies will lend insight into the role of diet in increasing susceptibility to allergen exposure, potential mechanisms by which diet may influence allergic asthma, and the potential for treating allergic asthma with dietary interventions.
Supplemental Keywords:
air, ambient air, indoor air, exposure, risk, health effects, human health, metabolism, vulnerability, sensitive populations, animal, population, children, race, diet, sex, ethnic groups, susceptibility, particulates, nitrogen oxides, community-based, observation, engineering, epidemiology, biology, monitoring, measurement methods, Mid-Atlantic, Maryland, MD,, Health, Scientific Discipline, Health Risk Assessment, Epidemiology, Allergens/Asthma, Biology, asthma triggers, asthma indices, airway inflammation, air pollution, children, diet, oxidant stressProgress and Final Reports:
Main Center Abstract and Reports:
R834510 Center for the Study of Childhood Asthma in the Urban Environment Subprojects under this Center: (EPA does not fund or establish subprojects; EPA awards and manages the overall grant for this center).
R834510C001 Urban Dietary Effects on the Asthmatic Response to Pollutants
R834510C002 Dietary Interventions in Asthma Treatment
R834510C003 Dissecting the Diet-Asthma Relationship in Mice Models of Asthma
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.