1) A study found that mice fed a high-fiber diet were less likely to develop allergic airways disease (AAD), which is similar to asthma, and their offspring also did not develop AAD even when switched to a normal diet. 2) The high-fiber diet altered the gut microbiome of the mice, increasing levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like acetate that are associated with reducing asthma symptoms. 3) Pregnant mice fed a high-fiber diet or acetate also had offspring less likely to develop AAD, indicating the benefits occurred in utero. Research in humans found mothers with higher acetate levels were less likely to have children with coughing, whee

1. Study: Moms who
eat fiber-rich diets
are less likely to
have kids with
asthma

2. Yup, your breakfast could help your asthma. (AP Photo/Matthew
Mead)
WRITTEN BY
Deena Shanker
June 23, 2015
Asthma continuesto be a major problemthroughout

3. the world. Globally, it is the most common chronic
disease in children, according to the World Health
Organization. In the US, 8.3% of children had asthma
in 2013. It is the third leading cause of
hospitalizationsfor children under15, and is a
leading cause of school absenteeism.
But there’s good news: A high-fiber diet may help
prevent asthma, accordingto a new study from
Nature Communications, and those benefits may be
passed down during pregnancy. The researchers
found, in mice, a high-fiber diet could suppress
allergic airways disease (AAD), which is similar to
asthma in humans. They also found that the adult
offspring of mice fed this diet didn’t develop
“robust”AAD and that similar correlationsexist in
humans.
The researchers started by feeding groups of mice
three different diets—control, high-fiber and low-
fiber—and testing their feces and blood for the
composition of their gut microbiota (or community of
microorganisms) and levels of short-chain fatty acids
(SCFAs). (SCFAs had previously been connected to
T regulatory cells, Tregs, which are found in lower
numbers and are less functional in asthmatics.) The
results were clear: The amount of fiber in the diet had
an impact on both the amount and kind of microbials

4. in the mice. The mice on the high-fiber diet also had
higher levels of SCFAs, particularlyacetate, leading
the researchers to concludethat a high-fiber diet
changes the composition of the microbiota in the gut
to producemore SCFAs.
Next, to understand how the microbiota and SCFAs
impacted asthma, the mice were again fed the three
different diets, and, for some, acetatewas added to
the drinking water. During days 12-15, the mice were
exposed to house-dust mites to induceAAD in a way
similar to asthma in humans. Unlike the rest of the
mice, the ones eating the high-fiber diet or drinking
the acetate-ladenwater did not develop AAD.
(However, in mice that already developed AAD, the
acetate did not help.)The researchers then arrived at
their next conclusion:A high-fiber diet and, in
particular, the consumption of acetate, “protects
against the development of AAD.”
The researchers also tested pregnant mice. After
feeding the pregnant mice the high-fiber diets or
acetate water, their offspring were weaned at 3 weeks
onto the control diet. At 6 weeks, AAD was induced.
However, AAD failed to develop. This was true both
in younger offspring and older. Because the same
was not true when the high-fiber diet or acetatewas
consumed during lactation, the researchers concluded

5. that the impact happensin utero.
In pregnant women, high-fiber diets also lead to
higher SCFA levels, the researchers found. They also
note an association between mothers with higher-
than-median acetate levels and “a significant
decrease” in the percentage of their infants that had to
make two or more doctorvisits for coughing and
wheezing, as well as less parent-reportedwheezing.
Bottomline: On top of lowering cholesteroland
helping digestion, fiber-rich foods like beans and
fruit may also help you and your future children
breathemore easily.