Science short
Vitamin D not helpful for adult asthmatics
“These findings do not support a strategy of therapeutic vitamin D3 supplementation in patients with symptomatic asthma,” the authors concluded in the study that will also be presented at the American Thoracic Society International Conference.
Led by Mario Castro, MD, from the Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, the study randomly gave the 400 asthmatic adults either vitamin D3 (100,000 IU once, then 4,000 IU/daily for 28 weeks) or placebo.
The results showed vitamin D3 did not significantly reduce the rate of first treatment failure measured as a decline in lung function and increases in use of beta-agonists, systemic steroids, and health care utilisation.
Asthmatic children and adults with lower vitamin D levels have been linked to impaired lung function, increased frequency of exacerbations, and reduced responsiveness to steroid therapy.
Vitamin D3 supplementation was thought to be one solution but the researchers found no reduction in asthma control, airway function, quality of life, or airway inflammation.
Source:
Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
Published online May 18, 2014. doi:10.1001/jama.2014.5052.
‘Effect of Vitamin D3 on Asthma Treatment Failures in Adults With Symptomatic Asthma and Lower Vitamin D Levels: The VIDA Randomized Clinical Trial’
Authors: Castro M, King TS, Kunselman SJ, et al.
