Some asthma patients may benefit from medicine made from extract of mussels

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma
Article Date: 18 Apr 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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Some asthma patients may benefit from medicine made from extract of mussels which is already used to treat arthritic patients.

Lyprinol is derived from New Zealand green-lipped mussels, and contains lipid extracts, which are rich in fatty acids that help to reduce inflammation - hence its role in treating rheumatoid arthritis.

Russian researchers put it to the test in a clinical trial of 46 people with mild to moderate asthma who were not taking steroids. Half of the group were given Lyprinol capsules to take daily while the others received placebos.

After eight weeks the scientists found that those taking green-lipped mussel extract wheezed half as much as the patients taking placebo capsules, although this was only true for the daytime; there was no difference between the groups for night-time symptoms.

Those receiving Lyprinol also had better peak flow readings (a measure of lung function) in the mornings, although not in the evenings.

'This study shows that Lyprinol can help to reduce daytime wheeze in people with asthma who are not taking steroids,' said Martin Dockrell, assistant director of policy & public affairs at the National Asthma Campaign 'However, we would suggest that if you want to try it, use it to complement the medicines prescribed by your doctor, and never stop taking a course of steroids without consulting your GP.'

Professor Peter Barnes, a respiratory specialist at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London, co-authored the study with Dr Alexander Emelyanov of Pavlov's St Petersburg Medical University. Speaking to the Independent, he stressed that although Lyprinol slightly improved asthma symptoms, it was not as effective as taking inhaled steroids:

'We don't consider that it would be a substitute [for them]. But it may help to improve the patient's control [of their symptoms] on top of the inhaled steroids, or it may mean that people don't have to use such a high dose.'

Lyprinol has been in the news lately in the wake of Prince Charles' controversial article in The Guardian urging health professionals to take seriously complementary therapies. It was recently made available in the UK, after the study was published in the European Respiratory Journal.

From:
www.asthma.org.uk

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