New findings from an observational study point to the intake of vitamin D during pregnancy as a way to curb childhood asthma.
Dr. Carlos Camargo at Harvard Medical School and his colleagues followed more than 2000 pregnant women and their children, and data on 1,194 subjects over the span of three years are now available. Risk factors for asthma in the children at age 3 showed an inverse relationship with the women’s consumption of vitamin D. The lowest intake of vitamin D was 356 IU; the highest was at 724 IU.
The children of mothers who consumed the highest amount of vitamin D were half as likely to have wheezing in the first three years of life compared to those whose moms had the lowest vitamin D intake.
The children’s vitamin intake did not have any effects on the result, suggesting that it is within pregnancy vitamin D supplementation is of importance.
A study of investigators in London going back to 2005 reaffirms the fact, that vitamin D has a positive impact on respiratory health. Vitamin D was given to steroid-resistant asthmatics. Authors of the study suggested that the therapeutic response to glucocorticoids was increased in this group.
Vitamin D Deficiency Affects Asthma
Further epidemiological investigations are needed to study the benefits of vitamin D as an inexpensive prenatal supplement to prevent childhood asthma.
More informaation on:
1. Asthma: http://nethealthbook.com/lung-disease/asthma-introduction/
2. Vitamin D3: http://nethealthbook.com/news/higher-vitamin-d-levels-associated-lower-risk-mortality/
Reference: The Medical Post, March 21, 2006, page 1 and 60
Last edited Oct. 31, 2014
