Caffeine and Asthma

Written By Christopher Ellis

I’ve had intermittent bouts of asthma throughout my life and it is usually triggered by allergies. I was recently in Brazil for 3 weeks, and my asthma worsened. I’m not sure what triggered it, but I had only brought one inhaler and it was almost empty. We drink a fair amount of coffee when we go there, and I noticed that it seemed to improve my symptoms. That’s when I remembered something I learned in grad school; caffeine belongs to a class of compounds called methylxanthines, the same class that includes theophylline, a drug that has been used for decades to treat asthma and chronic lung diseases like COPD. 


I decided to see if caffeine can have a positive effect on asthma. So I dug into the research, and this is what I found:

1. Small but measurable improvement in lung function

  • Multiple studies show that a single caffeine dose improves FEV₁ (forced expiratory volume in 1 second) by about 5–12% in mild-to-moderate asthmatics.

  • The effect starts within ~30 minutes, peaks at ~1–2 hours, and lasts up to 4 hours.

2. Reduced airway hyper-responsiveness

  • Some trials found caffeine made airways less reactive to triggers (e.g., allergens, cold air), but the effect was mild.

3. Possible reduction in exercise-induced bronchoconstriction

  • Especially in athletes with asthma, caffeine taken before exercise reduced the fall in lung function afterwards.

  • Example: In Trinh et al., 1999, 9 mg/kg caffeine significantly reduced airway narrowing after intense activity.

4. No evidence for long-term control

  • All studies tested single doses, not daily use.

  • There is no strong evidence that caffeine prevents asthma attacks or improves symptoms long-term.

So it appears that there is some modest benefit. However, habitual coffee drinkers will likely have a higher tolerance, reducing the effect. It’s important to note that it is not a substitute for traditional treatment, however in the absence of an inhaler, it may act as a stop gap. It certainly helped me. 

References:

  • Worthington BL, Anderson SD, Tikellis G, et al. Caffeine for asthma. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010;(1):CD001112. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001112.pub2

  • Becker RJ, Simons FER, Gillespie CA. Acute effects of caffeine on airway function in patients with asthma. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1984;129(6):909-912. doi:10.1164/arrd.1984.129.6.909

  • Trinh CK, Fahey GC, Mai LM, McKenzie DC. The effect of caffeine on exercise-induced bronchoconstriction. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1999;31(5):694-699. doi:10.1097/00005768-199905000-00007

  • Tashkin RE. Caffeine and other methylxanthines: their potential for use in asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1986;78(4 Pt 2):686-690. doi:10.1016/0091-6749(86)90139-5

  • Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA). Global Strategy for Asthma Management and Prevention. Updated 2024. Accessed August 13, 2025. https://ginasthma.org

Christopher Ellis

Dr. Ellis is a hands-on therapist who thrives at educating his patients. He has worked with military personnel and professional athletes, and strives to help his patients reach higher levels of performance. Being through physical trauma, Dr. Ellis understands what it takes to rehabilitate not only physically, but mentally. His relaxed and warm personality create a positive environment to achieve your goals.

On a Personal Note


Dr. Ellis took the hard road to find physical therapy. In 2002, he fell down an elevator shaft while working as a carpenter, fracturing his pelvis, a lumbar vertebrae, and his wrist. He began physical rehabilitation and several months later, found himself to be pain free and never required surgery or any casting. Dr. Ellis maintains an active lifestyle and continues to play ice hockey and practices Brazilian Jiu-jitsu.

https://www.dynamicnaples.com
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