Asthma patients should not drink a lot of salty coffee because the high caffeine and sodium content can cause stress and increase respiratory spasms.
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the airways. When an asthma attack occurs, the bronchial mucosa becomes swollen, easily irritated, increases mucus secretion, and causes smooth muscle spasms, narrowing the airways, thereby reducing the flow of air in and out of the lungs. Patients often cough, have difficulty breathing, chest tightness, wheezing, and respiratory failure if the swelling worsens.
Master, Doctor Than Thi Ngoc Lan, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Tam Anh General Hospital, Hanoi, said that people with asthma can control the disease with medication, timely check-ups and a suitable diet and lifestyle. In particular, drinking enough water, about 1.5-2 liters per day, helps moisten the airways, thin mucus, increase air circulation, avoid shortness of breath, reduce asthma symptoms and the risk of infection. However, not all drinks are suitable for people with asthma, such as coffee.
According to Dr. Lan, many people previously mistakenly thought that coffee was good for asthma patients. Because the caffeine in this food has the same effect as theophylline, an old drug that treats wheezing, heavy breathing, and chest tightness in asthma. However, this effect is temporary, does not work immediately after use, and only lasts 2-4 hours. Patients who consume a lot of caffeine can have a rapid heart rate, increased palpitations, difficulty breathing, shallow breathing, shortness of breath, difficulty sleeping, stress, and agitation. At this time, asthma symptoms are likely to start or progress severely.
Asthma patients should be careful when using salt coffee. Photo: Tra My
Meritorious physician, Dr. Vu Truong Khanh, Head of the Department of Gastroenterology, said that salty coffee also contains many acids such as chlorogenic, N-alkanoyl-5-hydroxytryptamide. If you drink a lot, it will increase the acid concentration in the stomach, increase intestinal spasms, trigger symptoms of reflux, heartburn, and stimulate coughing. This is the cause of about 25% of cases of cough lasting more than 8 weeks. Caffeine in coffee can cause mild dehydration of the oral cavity, leading to dry mouth, throat irritation and coughing. People with asthma who cough a lot are prone to chest tightness, increasing the risk of asthma attacks.
Adding more ingredients such as salt, cream, condensed milk helps reduce the bitterness of coffee. Meanwhile, the amount of caffeine and acid is not reduced, so it cannot limit the effects of these substances on the stomach, oral cavity, nervous system, and bronchial reactions. Drinking salty coffee regularly increases the amount of salt consumed, which can cause water retention, edema, and fluid accumulation in cavities such as the abdomen and pleura, increasing inflammation and swelling of the airways.
Dr. Lan said that consuming a lot of salty coffee increases the risk of obesity. In addition to the high sugar and lactose content, drinking salty coffee can easily cause thirst, so patients need to drink a lot of water.
The doctor explained that the water intake is regulated in the blood vessels, accumulating in the spaces and cellular tissues, causing weight gain. Meanwhile, in obese people, the ability of the diaphragm to contract is inhibited, thereby reducing the expansion of the chest and the volume of circulating air. Fat deposits in the pharynx can narrow the airways, increase airway resistance, and cause difficulty breathing. This condition can increase the production of inflammatory mediators, increase airway inflammation and airway reactivity. Obese asthma patients tend to have a 4-6 times higher risk of hospitalization than non-obese patients.
The sugar and milk ingredients that create the rich sweetness in this drink can increase inflammation and mucus production if consumed regularly. According to Dr. Lan, patients should limit their use of salty coffee. Patients who need to have a pulmonary function test (PFP) to determine the severity of their asthma should avoid this drink for at least 4 hours.
Patients should drink filtered water, vegetable broth, and fresh fruit juice. For example, tomato juice contains a lot of the antioxidant lycopene, which has the effect of reducing the number of neutrophils entering the airways and the activity of neutrophil elastase in sputum after only 7 days of supplementation. Herbal teas such as ginger tea, green tea, black tea, licorice tea, etc., when used properly, also help reduce inflammation and relax respiratory muscles. However, patients should note that these teas are not a substitute for medical treatment.