If you are a woman over the age of 40, you probably know that you should be taking Vitamin D. Unfortunately, many women don't get enough. But did you know that not getting enough Vitamin D might be affecting your asthma?
According to researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, vitamin D may slow the progressive decline in lung function resulting from airway remodeling over time. In airway remodeling certain types of smooth muscle grow more prominent, cause inflammation, and can cause damage to the lungs. The researchers believe that the remodeling can possibly be prevented or slowed down if adequate amounts of vitamin D are consumed.
The researchers found that vitamin D decreased growth of smooth muscle inflammation in the lungs of 12 volunteers more than other potent anti-inflammatories. While the studies are preliminary, they continue to study vitamin D as an asthma therapy. According to a press release, the authors are going to preform a randomized controlled trial to determine the effect of vitamin D supplementation on patients with severe asthma.
How much vitamin D do you take? Would you consider taking more if studies end up demonstrating that it might improve your asthma?
I’ve been taking 2000 IU of vitamin D per day for the past few years, but that’s because it’s been shown to help prevent heart disease and cancer. I don’t have asthma, but it’s good to know that it may have a benefit here too with regards to lung function.
KN Smith
This is really interesting to know. I’ve been taking 1,000 IU for the last few months because my hips were bothering me so much — it would be great if it also slows down the lung degeneration.