A Pilot Study: Effects of Dietary Supplementation with α-Linolenic Acid-Enriched Perilla Seed Oil on Bronchial Asthma

N-3 fatty acids, such as fish oil, have been reported to have some beneficial effects in patients with bronchial asthma. The effects of dietary supplementation with perilla seed oil rich in a-linolenic acid (α-LNA), parent n-3 fatty acid, were studied in five patients with asthma. The symptoms of asthma and mean peak flow rates (PFR) both early in the morning and in the evening were improved 2 weeks after dietary supplementation and the increases in PFR were significant (P < 0.05). The generation of leukotriene B4 (LTB4) by peripheral leukocytes stimulated with the Ca2 + ionophore A23187 was significantly suppressed from 77.6 to 41.6 ng/5Xl06 cells by dietary supplementation (P < 0.05). The generation of leukotriene C4 (LTC4) by leukocytes was also significantly suppressed from 64.0 to 38.8 ng/5x106 cells after supplementation with perilla seed oil (P < 0.05). These results suggest that dietary supplementation with perilla seed oil is beneficial for the treatment of asthma.