Washington D.C.: Asthmatic? You may want to start working out regularly as a new study has revealed that just 30 minutes of exercise a day can relieve asthma symptoms.


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In the study, experts from Concordia University, the Hopital du Sacre-Coeur de Montreal and several other institutions analyzed the exercise habits of 643 participants who had been diagnosed with asthma.


Results were overwhelmingly clear: those who engaged in optimal levels of physical activity on a regular basis were nearly two-and-a-half times more likely to have good control of their symptoms, compared with those who did no exercise.


The workout doesn't have to be strenuous. Lead author Simon Bacon said that just 30 minutes a day of walking, riding a bike, doing yoga or anything active, really can result in significant reduction of asthma symptoms.


Traditionally, people with the condition have been discouraged from exercising because of a belief that it triggers shortness of breath and attacks. Bacon explains that simple precautionary measures can be taken to avoid the discomforts that can be caused by physical activity.


"The issue of exercise-induced bronchospasm is real-but if you use your releaver medication, blue puffer, before you exercise, and then take the time to cool down afterwards, you should be okay," he says. "Even if you have asthma, there's no good reason not to get out there and exercise."


Bacon concluded that it would be great to see physicians recommending physical activity to patients with asthma, alongside traditional pharmacological treatments.


The study is published in BMJ Open Respiratory Research.