Even though exercise can trigger asthma attacks, a review of studies on the subject shows that asthmatics benefit from exercise on the whole, as it improves their cardiopulmonary fitness.
Asthmatics who exercised regularly showed improvement in:
- Maximum ventilation
- Maximal oxygen uptake
- Work capacity, and
- Maximum heart rate.
Exercise showed no significant effect in other measures such as expiratory air-flow rate, expiratory volume, and days of wheezing. There was no evidence suggesting that regular exercise worsens asthmatic symptoms.
The review examined 13 studies, involving more that 450 total participants. It may be advisable for asthmatics to seek counseling on ways to prevent and treat exercise-induced asthma.