A new study has provided preliminary evidence that a compound found in black currants may help people who suffer from asthma to breathe. The compound in question is known as epigallocatechin, and it was found to enhance natural defense mechanisms in lung tissue by decreasing inflammation as well as inflammation inducing metabolic reactions.

Researchers arrived at their findings, published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, by studying the effects of epigallocatechin on lung tissue cells in culture. The compound has been found to inhibit long term lung inflammation that results from exposure to allergens, which the lungs perceive as foreign invaders. Epigallocatechin works in unison with the body’s own defense mechanisms to reduce this inflammation. Black currants are also rich in anthocycanins, another antioxidant with anti-inflammatory capabilities.

The fact that these compounds work together with the body’s own defense mechanisms could lead to the development of anti-inflammatory therapies that are more natural and in harmony with our own metabolism, thereby offering alternative to conventional asthma drugs. In fact, the findings are part of a larger study that is centering on natural components of healthy foods (which include fruits, vegetables, grains and fish) to gain a better understanding of how our diets affect our health.

It has long been understood that fruits have the ability to lessen the severity of allergy-induced asthma symptoms. The exact mechanism by which this occurs, however, is poorly understood, and the current findings lend new insight into how it may actually occur.

Epigallocatechin is a catechin that is also found in green tea. Catechins are antioxidants that are believed to have a variety of healthful properties, including reducing the risk for heart disease and certain cancers. It is believed to have the unique ability to fight cancer at all stages of the disease, and some experts contend that it is more potent than vitamin C and E. It is also thought to have antimicrobial potential, suppressing the growth of E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus, as well as anti-inflammatory properties.

Asthma is a chronic condition that is linked to inflammation of the lungs, whereby the air passageways become constricted, making breathing difficult. Symptoms include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and tightness of the chest. The condition affects over 22 million people in the United States, nearly 6 million of whom are children, and results in nearly 2 million visits to the emergency room every year.

Asthma is treatable through the use of medication, but improper control can adversely effect your quality of life, and in extreme situations, lead to death (asthma causes 4000 deaths per year). Certain risk factors increase the possibility of developing asthma, including heredity, childhood lung infections, exposure to secondhand smoke, exposure to excessive air pollution (especially in urban areas), and obesity.

If you are having trouble breathing, talk to you doctor as soon as possible. For more information about asthma, visit the websites for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.