Around the world, asthma and allergies impact people in a range of ways every day. The trouble is, that it is hard to predict what the day will hold, with triggers for diseases being found all over and, in some cases, in unassuming places. For asthmatics who also suffer from seasonal allergies, the great outdoors can be too much to handle some days, which is why some doctors recommend staying indoors if pollen counts are abnormally high.
But a recent study shows that lack of vitamin D – or too little sunshine – can actually be a detriment to your health if you have asthma, and in some cases can spur on asthma attacks. In 2012 Medical News Today reported on a study in which they linked vitamin D deficiency with poor lung function. To build on that idea, Dr. Ronit Confino-Cohen, of the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, and the research team evaluated nearly 4 million patients of the Clalit Health Services, which is the biggest health care provider in Israel. Each of the individuals was between the ages of 22 and 50.
Of those individuals, the vitamin D levels of 307,900 were examined. Approximately 21,237 of those same patients also suffered from asthma.
The report from the study, which was published in Allergy showed that if a patient who had asthma also suffered from low levels of vitamin D, they were 25 percent more likely to experience an asthma attack than those whose vitamin levels were normal.
"Our results add more evidence to the link between vitamin D and asthma, suggesting beneficial effects of vitamin D on asthma exacerbations," Confino-Cohen said about the study. "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."
While offering some insight on the relationship between proper levels of vitamins and diseases like asthma, the study also raises a lot of questions. Could vitamin supplementation be used to treat or cure asthma in acute cases? What might increased doses of vitamin D do to other parts of the body?
With studies like these, the medical community makes great strides to learn even more about this tricky disease. But until there is a definitive answer to these questions, it is best to use the medication and treatment options that your doctors have prescribed you, rather than straying from what is working.
It is also important to practice good allergy control to ensure your overall health no matter what the weather may be outside. For more information on how Allergy Be Gone can help, contact us today!
