An athlete's capacity to sweat may prevent the development of exercise-induced asthma (EIA), according to a new study.

Carried out by staff at the University of Michigan in the USA and published in the September issue of the peer-reviewed journal Chest, the research suggests athletes with EIA produce less tears, sweat and saliva than those who do not have the condition.

The scientists analysed the relationship between the secretion rates of the fluids in 56 athletic participants who were suspected of having EIA.

Air movement through the lungs was measured in otherwise healthy subjects before and after the administration of a drug which can cause airways to constrict in patients with EIA called methacholine.

Responses were also measured to the application of pilocarpine, an agent used to induce the production of saliva and sweat.

"Individuals who were most sensitive to methacholine... were the least sensitive to pilocarpine-induced sweat secretion - meaning those subjects who had the most hyper-reactive airways tended to sweat the least," it was noted.

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