Does coffee help asthma?

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Answer

Absolutely YES!! I have had a really bad asthma problem this morning and I had taken quite enough ventolin but the problem persisted. However, after having a hot strong coffee, my problem almost evaporated! Go onto Google and type in 'coffee asthma' and you will see plenty of evidence to support my experience. You still need medication of course, but coffee is a good back-up.  

Answer

There are a couple of reason why it can help in an mild acute attack
1) Caffeine, is out of class of drugs called methylxanthines, this class has 2 other drugs in it, Theobromine and Theophylline (which has been used a lot over the years to treat asthma).
2)Warmth, will help to relax the bronchial tubes and make it easier to breath.
3)Fluids, asthmatics should drink alot of fluids (water) which helps to keep the lungs moist and helps to thin out the mucus so it is easier to cough up and out.  

Answer

The reason being, Caffeine is similar to adenosine, and binds to the adenosine receptors of cells, without activating them. This means the adenosine receptors cannot be activated by real adenosine. In the brain, this eventually leads to the release of epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine. Epinephrine and norephineprhine lead to increased heart rate, blood pressure and blood flow to muscles, a decreased blood flow to the skin and inner organs and a release of glucose by the liver, and dilation of the bronchial tubes. There is also a metabolite of Caffeine, called Theophylline, which relaxes smooth muscles, chiefly your bronchioles.

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First answer by BThompson. Last edit by Mikeys girl. Contributor trust: 1 [recommend contributorrecommended]. Question popularity: 174 [recommend question].