Vitamin D sure is in the news a lot lately. In fact, a recent statistic showed that up to 80 percent of American adults are deficient in vitamin D! That's a startling fact, especially considering all of the health benefits vitamin D can have, from keeping your heart healthy to staving off dementia and cancer. Now, a new study has shown that there's an asthma-vitamin D connection - especially if you're a mom-to-be. Let's take a look at this recent discovery.
An insufficiency of Vitamin D may be linked to the severity of asthma symptoms in children, according to a new study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. According to the study, a higher intake of vitamin D by pregnant women can reduce the risk of asthma in children as much as 40 percent.
Pregnant women who were vitamin D deficient had more of a chance of having a child who suffered from asthma and other allergies, according to the studies. The study was the first performed on children and the link to vitamin D concerning asthma.
The study also indicated that children with a vitamin D deficiency were more likely to be hospitalized for asthma symptoms than those who had enough of the vitamin in their bloodstream. In addition to being hospitalized for asthmatic symptoms, these children were also more likely to be more hyperactive and have more allergies and sensitivities.
What is Asthma?
Asthma is a serious condition that often requires hospitalization for someone experiencing an attack. Asthma has increased more than 300 percent in the last 20 years and affects around 20 million Americans. Clinically, asthma causes inflammation of your upper airways. The symptoms are wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightening, and coughing.
Other studies have been performed to discover how to lessen the symptoms of asthma and prevent attacks. A study performed in Australia in 2006 on mice indicated that sunlight reduced the symptoms of asthma. And for those of you who have been paying attention, one source of vitamin D is sunlight.
Researchers, according to the published report, feel that vitamin D is linked to the immune system as well as lung development in unborn children. Women who took vitamin D when pregnant had a 40 percent less risk of having children diagnosed with asthma between the ages of 3 and 5, which is when most conditions are diagnosed.
Vitamin D is filtered through the skin by UV rays from the sun. Getting enough outside exposure is one way to elevate the levels of Vitamin D. However, sometimes it's difficult to get an adequate amount of daily sun exposure, especially if you live in the "northern" regions of the country. A vitamin D supplement is one way to increase the levels of vitamin D in your body if you cannot get enough vitamin D from the sun. Taking a supplement will make sure that you are getting enough of the levels of this vitamin to reduce your risk of asthma symptoms.
In fact, according to reports, if you have 60 ng/ml levels of vitamin D in your bloodstream, you may not experience the signs of asthma any longer. This gives new hope to those who have asthma, or have children with the condition.
Breathe better by getting more vitamin D!
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