Lack Of Vitamine D Linked To Asthma And Allergies

Australian researchers have found that children with Vitamin D deficiency are more likely to develop asthma and other allergies later in life. This is the findings of a study published in the ‘Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology’.
Similarly, the findings conducted by researchers from Western Australia’s Telethon Kids Institute, also showed that repeated bouts of Vitamin D deficiency in early childhood are linked to higher rates of asthma at age 10, as well as allergy and eczema.
Vitamin D are any of a group of vitamins found in liver and fish oils, essential for the absorption of calcium and the prevention of rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Asthma is a chronic disease involving the airways in the lungs.
These airways, or bronchial tubes, allow air to come in and out of the lungs. If you have asthma, your airways are always inflamed. They become even more swollen and the muscles around the airways can tighten when something triggers your symptoms.
Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, is another condition that could be caused by Vitamin D deficiency. Allergies are a number of conditions caused by hypersensitivity of the immune system to something in the environment that usually causes little or no problem in most people.
These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic dermatitis, allergic asthma, and anaphylaxis. On its part, eczema is a group of diseases that results in inflammation of the skin, characterised by itchiness, red skin, and a rash.
NAN reported that the researchers tracked vitamin D levels from birth to age 10 in Perth in Australia and found that children were at high risk of developing asthma and allergies as they grew older if they lacked the nutrient at a young age.
The study’s lead author, Dr. Elysia Hollams, said the findings showed that Vitamin D played an important role in regulating the immune system as well as promoting a healthy lung development. “Our study is the first to track vitamin D levels from birth to asthma onset, and it has shown a clear link between prolonged Vitamin D deficiency in early childhood and the development of asthma.
“We have also shown for the first time that babies deficient in Vitamin D have higher levels of potentially harmful bacteria in their upper airways, and are more susceptible to severe respiratory infections,’’ Hollams said.
However, she cautioned against rushing out and purchasing Vitamin D supplements as more research needed to be done in the field. “We still do not know what the optimal level of vitamin D is for good lung health and immune function.”