Proper Vitamin D Levels Reduces the Severity of Asthma
Do you know pollution is one of the causes of asthma?
An estimated 300 million people worldwide suffer from the respiratory inflammation commonly known as asthma. Additionally, 250,000 deaths a year are attributed to the disease. There are three basic causes for asthma: environment, genetic and gene-environment interactions. Environmental causes are connected to air pollutants such as cigarette smoke and traffic pollution. Genetic causes are, obviously, born from within your genetic makeup. Gene-environment interaction causes are born from specific sets of genes which encounter specific environmental exposures. Unfortunately, asthma is becoming more and more prevalent in society, particularly in urban environments. Although untreated asthma can reap dangerous consequences upon a person, asthma’s affects are typically easily reversible through the usage of medication oftentimes administered through an inhaler. However, recent studies suggest that Vitamin D may further lessen the severity of asthma and the violent attacks it can sometimes cause.
Recent studies indicate that Vitamin D deficiencies were inversely linked to indicators of allergy and asthma severity. The study revealed that children with low Vitamin D levels were at a significantly higher risk for acute asthma attacks, potentially even attacks requiring hospital visits. Furthermore, they also showed airways with hyperactivity and an increased sensitivity to allergens such as dust-mites. Although no direct causal study has emerged, the mounting evidence seems nearly incontrovertible. However, clinical trials are currently under way which seek to prove a direct causal relationship between Vitamin D deficiency and the severity of asthma.
The benefits of Vitamin D were solely long believed to be essential to strengthening your bones and immune system. In recent years, more and more studies suggest additional health benefits, the latest of which seems to be the reduction of asthma severity. The growing list of positive health effects makes Vitamin D an attractive group of prohoromones to introduce into your system.
There are many ways to increase your Vitamin D levels. A primary source of Vitamin D is sunlight. Obviously, overexposure to sunlight can be damaging to your skin and a potential cancer risk. But healthy sun exposure is a tremendous way to increase the Vitamin D levels in your system. Additionally, various food products also provide Vitamin D to your body. Many fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel have good levels of vitamin, as well as eggs and many dairy products. However, be careful not to over ingest Vitamin D, because that can lead to unfortunate medical consequences.
If you are one of the unfortunate 300 million people who must battle the daily effects of asthma, consider introducing more Vitamin D into your diet. If possible, take daily walks outside. If you live in an area where weather does not permit this activity, try finding different food products that may be beneficial. Although you won’t be able to eliminate the effects of asthma on your life, you may be able to significantly reduce the severity of the consequences stemming from the disease. Even if you are skeptical of the connections between low levels of Vitamin D and asthma severity, don’t be shy about including it into your daily routine. The health benefits are tremendous.
Photo by Michael Caven
