Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent worldwide and may partly explain why asthma and allergic diseases have risen over the last 6 decades. Read on to find out how vitamin D deficiency causes common allergies including asthma.
Vitamin D helps in the development of the lungs and the immune system, and has been implicated in the development, severity and course of allergic diseases such as asthma, dermatitis and food allergies.
How Does Vitamin D Affect Common Allergies?
Vitamin D deficiency might impair the integrity of body linings, which in turn leads to increased exposure of the body mucosa to food antigens and result in compromised immune tolerance.
Asthma
Vitamin D can decrease the severity of asthma and allergies by acting on the immune cells, preventing infections, decreasing inflammation and improving lung function.
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Research has shown that vitamin-D deficiency in early life is associated with high rates of respiratory infections, which in turn is associated with a heightened risk of allergic asthma in young children.
Research shows that vitamin-D supplements taken along with asthma medication results in a significant reduction in asthma exacerbations and treatment failures among those who achieved a normal vitamin-D level.
Atopic Dermatitis & Allergic Rhinitis
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Low levels of vitamin-D increases the severity of atopic dermatitis (an allergic skin condition) and vitamin-D deficiency at birth is associated with a higher risk of developing atopic dermatitis in the following years.
Atopic dermatitis raises the risk of developing allergic rhinitis (allergic sneezing and runny nose).
Studies have reported that vitamin-D supplementation in children has a favorable effect on atopic dermatitis symptoms during the winter months.
Food Allergy
It has been demonstrated that infants of parents with vitamin-D insufficiency had a higher risk of developing food allergies, especially peanut and/or egg allergy, than those with adequate vitamin-D levels.Â
They were also more likely to have multiple food allergies rather than a single one.
Early correction of vitamin-D deficiency can decrease the risk of food allergies in children by promoting mucosal defenses and tolerance of allergy-causing substances.
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Where Can We Get Vitamin D?
Natural sources of vitamin-D include sunlight, egg yolk, fish, fortified milk and mushrooms.
However, to correct serious deficiencies, supplements may be required. Ask your doctor regarding the dose and schedule of taking vitamin-D supplements.
Caution: It’s better to get your vitamin-D levels tested before taking supplements to prevent an excess accumulation of the vitamin in the body.
Takeaway
-Vitamin D deficiency is very common
-Vitamin D deficiency is associated with asthma, atopic dermatitis and other allergies
-Allergy symptoms may improve with vitamin D deficiency correction
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Source
Mirzakhani, H., Al-Garawi, A., Weiss, S. T., & Litonjua, A. A. (2015). Vitamin D and the development of allergic disease: how important is it?. Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 45(1), 114–125. https://doi.org/10.1111/cea.12430
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-foods-high-in-vitamin-d#Vitamin-D-and-
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