City Allergy

Category: Patient Education > Asthma  

Asthma and Vitamin D

Much attention has been given recently to the association between vitamin D deficiency and asthma.  Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to increase the risk of upper respiratory tract infections and to decrease lung capacity in asthma and other wheezing diseases.  Some of this appears to be reversible with Vitamin D supplementation which seems capable of enhancing immunity against respiratory infections and, experimentally, reducing airway inflammation to some degree.   Is Vitamin D a way to prevent or reduce permanent airway changes in severe asthmatics?  That remains to be determined but it is intriguing and a simple enough intervention. How much should you take?