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Vitamin D Deficiency Worsens Asthma, Study Says

Vitamin D Deficiency Worsens Asthma, Study Says

Asthmatics who are deficient in Vitamin D  are 25 percent more likely to have an acute asthma attack. So says a study just published in the medical journal Allergy. It also suggests that increasing Vitamin D levels could help stave off asthma attacks. The research, drew on the records of millions of patients in Israels’ largest health care system using physician diagnosed asthmatic patients visits and their documented Vitamin D levels.Explaining the potential importance of this study lead researcher R. Confino-Cohen from Tel-Aviv University writes, “Vitamin D was believed to have an effect on asthma. But most of the existing data regarding Vitamin D and asthma came from the pediatric population and was inconsistent. Our present study is unique because the study population of young adults is very large.”

The Vitamin D levels of greater than 300,00 people were documented from 2008 to 2012. There were 21,000 asthmatic patients found in the study, and those with a Vitamin D deficiency were 25 percent more likely to suffer an asthmatic attack within a brief period of time prior to their medical visit and Vitamin D level being measured.

They further found that asthmatics who were Vitamin D-deficient were more likely to have “uncontrolled asthma” which was defined as their condition requiring the prescription of multiple inhaler medications, prescriptions of steroids to control their asthma, or having visited their doctor for an asthmatic attack at least four times in the prior year.

Researcher Dr. Confino-Cohen syays, “Our results add more evidence to the link between Vitamin D and asthma, suggesting beneficial effects of Vitamin D on asthma exacerbations.” We expect that further prospective studies will support our results. In the meantime, our results support a recommendation for screening of Vitamin D levels in the subgroup of asthma patients who experience recurrent exacerbations. In those with Vitamin D deficiency, supplementation may be necessary.”
Foods containing Vitamin D include eggs, milk products, fish and liver. Exposure to the sun also provides Vitamin D to the body.

Vitamin D has been a darling of researchers during 2014 as more and more evidence of the health benefits of Vitamin D becomes available. I recommend those interested look at related blog posts I’ve written regarding other Vitamin D related research studies.

 

For the best in Integrative Medicine call Henry C. Sobo, M.D., at 203-348-8805 or write us at [email protected]

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