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No one wants to experience an asthma attack, but thousands of Americans experience unpleasant and sometimes dangerous asthma symptoms every day. Medications and inhalers can help to relieve the wheezing and shortness of breath, but they also cause a rise in heart rate and blood pressure. Wouldn’t it be better to prevent an asthma attack in the first place? Not surprisingly, what you eat could play a role in reducing asthma symptoms. If you could only choose one food to eat to prevent asthma symptoms – what would it be? Here’s why you should make it broccoli.

Why Does Eating Broccoli Help to Prevent Asthma Symptoms?

Broccoli is one of the best sources of a natural compound called sulforaphane. According to a study published in the journal Immunology, the sulforaphanes in broccoli have some pretty powerful effects on the lungs. These antioxidant enzymes help to protect against the type of airway inflammation that can lead to asthma symptoms by stimulating the release of antioxidant enzymes. Researchers are hoping the sulforaphanes in broccoli could help to prevent asthma symptoms as well as other lung diseases.

Eating Broccoli Could Protect Against the Effects of Air Pollution on the Lung

Lungs are exposed to hundreds of different pollutants every day – from the exhaust fumes from cars to self-imposed ones such as cigarette smoke. All of these pollutants cause chronic inflammation and increase the risk of asthma attacks in people who are susceptible to them. Antioxidants such as the sulforaphane in broccoli help to prevent the damage that causes everything from an asthma attack to chronic lung disease.

Is Eating Broccoli the Best Way to Get More Sulforaphanes

Broccoli contains lots of sulforaphane – but there’s an even better source – broccoli sprouts. Three day old broccoli sprouts are the best known source of sulforaphanes, and it’s an option that will suit people who find eating conventional broccoli spears to be unpleasant. These raw sprouts which can be found at most grocery stores can be sprinkled on salads and tucked into wraps and sandwiches.

Eating Broccoli and Asthma Attacks: The Bottom Line

Eating broccoli and broccoli sprouts may not be a replacement for an asthma inhaler, but enjoying these foods on a consistent basis may help to prevent asthma symptoms – which is enough to make any asthmatic happy. Broccoli and broccoli sprouts have so many other health benefits that they’re a must for almost any healthy diet.

As a person gets older, so does their skin. When a person reaches a certain age – usually after the age of sixty they start showing signs of skin atrophy. Atrophic skin is a condition where the skin feels paper thin and is very dry and fragile. This type of skin bruises very easily and is prone to developing skin ulcers. This is obviously of concern both from a cosmetic perspective – but even more so from a health perspective since it’s prone to bruising, bleeding, and ulceration. Is there any effective treatment for atrophic skin?

What Causes Skin Atrophy?

Atrophic skin is part of the natural aging process and may be, at least partially, determined by genetics. Some people start to develop early signs of skin atrophy as young as age forty – but by the age of eighty almost everyone has it to some degree. Skin atrophy happens when the layer of skin called the dermis decreases in size. This is the portion of the skin that produces collagen which gives skin its structure and suppleness. Without the benefit of collagen, the skin becomes thin, wrinkled, and prone to bleeding and bruising. The outermost layer of the skin called the epidermis also thins out when the skin becomes atrophic. A form of skin atrophy can also occur when topical steroid medications are used for prolonged periods of time.

Skin Atrophy Treatment: Does Anything Work?

Atrophic skin is tough to reverse and there have been few satisfactory treatments for this condition. One study showed that applying hyaluronate to atrophic skin could help to reverse some of these changes. When this was done in mice, it caused thickening of atrophic skin and an improvement in texture. Another treatment that could hold some promise is the use of high strength retinoic acids such as those found in Retina-A. The problem is Retin-A causes significant skin irritation in many people which would be more pronounced in people with skin atrophy.

Skin Atrophy Treatment: The Bottom Line?

There isn’t a perfect skin atrophy treatment, but hyaluronate holds promise and Retina-A may have some benefit for people who can deal with the irritation. Although hyaluronate may be purchased online, the study showing its effectiveness was small and it’s best to wait until more research becomes available. If you have early signs of skin atrophy, talk to your dermatologist about these two potential treatment options.