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Low vitamin D levels shown to increase allergy risk in children

Category: Vitamin D Deficiency-Diagnosis and Treatment

Vitamin D testing may explain why so many young people these days have allergies, as a new study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology shows that low levels of the nutrient may be associated with a number of allergic conditions.

Researchers from Yeshiva University conducted vitamin D testing on 3,100 children and 3,400 adults. The results showed no correlation between nutritional levels and allergies in adults. However, young people with low vitamin D counts were 2.4 times more likely to have any of 11 different allergies.

The types of allergies considered in the study included environmental ones like ragweed, dogs and oak trees, as well as food reactions to things like peanuts.

The scientists pointed out that observational studies like this that determine correlation can never definitively prove a cause. However, the strong association between vitamin D levels and allergies indicates there may be something to the connection.

Either way, the team said that people should make every effort possible to meet daily recommendations for vitamin D intake, which stand at about 600 international units per day, depending on age and health.