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Study links vitamin D deficiency to asthma symptoms

Category: Vitamin D Deficiency-Diagnosis and Treatment

Asthma can be a crippling disease that prevents individuals from getting the most out of their everyday lives. However, those who suffer from the condition may benefit from vitamin D testing, as new research has shown higher levels of the nutrient may help control symptoms.

Researchers from Creighton University examined 60 years worth of results from prior clinical trials. They found that there is a strong correlation between vitamin D deficiency and increased airway restriction, lower lung function and poor symptom control.

Thomas Casale, who led the research, told WebMD that the findings help explain why asthma symptoms are generally worse among certain groups of people and during less sunny times of year.

"The biggest issue is whether or not vitamin deficiency can be related to a worsening of asthma, and all the studies have been single-point in time studies, and the concern is that depending on where you live, you can be vitamin D-deficient in the winter, but not in the summer," he told the news source.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has estimated that as much as 20 percent of Americans are Vitamin D deficient.