Asthmatics with high vitamin D levels have better lung function and respond better to treatment than asthmatics with low vitamin D levels.
Asthmatics with high vitamin D levels have better lung function and respond better to treatment than asthmatics with low vitamin D levels.
A healthy adult needs minimum of 1,400 and up to 2,000 IU of Vitamin D daily, and if you are obese, you probably need at least one and a half to two times as much, because of sequestration in fat. Vitamin D levels predict how well somebody is going to respond to steroid asthma medications. To investigate the association between asthma and Vitamin D levels, researchers studied the vitamin D levels of 54 American asthmatics and assessed their lung function, airway hyper-responsiveness, which is the prevalence of airway constriction, and response to steroid treatment.
People with low levels of vitamin D in their blood did worse on the tests that evaluated lung function and airway hyper-responsiveness. In those with vitamin levels below 30 nanograms per millilitre (ng/ml), airway hyper-responsiveness almost doubled, compared to those with more D in their blood.
Low vitamin D levels were also associated with a worse response to steroid therapy and increased production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine, Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF) - alpha. This raises the possibility that low vitamin D levels are tied to increased inflammation of the airways. It was also noted that the heaviest participants had the lowest levels of vitamin D. Asthma is associated with obesity, and lack of vitamin D may be a factor linking the two conditions.
The above findings show that low vitamin D levels are associated with a poor response to asthma treatment.
A healthy adult needs minimum of 1,400 and up to 2,000 IU of Vitamin D daily, and if you are obese, you probably need at least one and a half to two times as much, because of sequestration in fat. Vitamin D levels predict how well somebody is going to respond to steroid asthma medications. To investigate the association between asthma and Vitamin D levels, researchers studied the vitamin D levels of 54 American asthmatics and assessed their lung function, airway hyper-responsiveness, which is the prevalence of airway constriction, and response to steroid treatment.
People with low levels of vitamin D in their blood did worse on the tests that evaluated lung function and airway hyper-responsiveness. In those with vitamin levels below 30 nanograms per millilitre (ng/ml), airway hyper-responsiveness almost doubled, compared to those with more D in their blood.
Low vitamin D levels were also associated with a worse response to steroid therapy and increased production of the pro-inflammatory cytokine, Tumour Necrosis Factor (TNF) - alpha. This raises the possibility that low vitamin D levels are tied to increased inflammation of the airways. It was also noted that the heaviest participants had the lowest levels of vitamin D. Asthma is associated with obesity, and lack of vitamin D may be a factor linking the two conditions.
The above findings show that low vitamin D levels are associated with a poor response to asthma treatment.
COMMENT
DoctorNDTV is the one stop site for all your health needs providing the most credible health information, health news and tips with expert advice on healthy living, diet plans, informative videos etc. You can get the most relevant and accurate info you need about health problems like diabetes, cancer, pregnancy, HIV and AIDS, weight loss and many other lifestyle diseases. We have a panel of over 350 experts who help us develop content by giving their valuable inputs and bringing to us the latest in the world of healthcare.
