This Vitamin May Help Curb Asthma Attacks

Asthma is a chronic lung disease with common symptoms like wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. It may be caused due to genetic or environmental factors. The symptoms can be improved with the help of medicines, healthy lifestyle and by avoiding triggers like allergens, smoke and pollen. In the past, health experts have suggested that Vitamin D (from sunlight) can help control symptoms of severe asthma by increasing immunity and now science also agrees. (How Sunlight Reduces Asthma)According to a study that has appeared in the journal Allergy, boosting Vitamin D levels in deficient asthmatics could help manage asthma flare-ups. Dr. Ronit Confino-Cohen from Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine explains, "Vitamin D has significant immunomodulatory effects and it is believed to have a positive effect on asthma - an immunologically mediated disease,"Dr Confino-Cohen and her team analyzed medical records of nearly four million members of Clalit Health Services, Israel's largest health care provider. The Vitamin D levels of 307,900 people were measured between 2008 and 2012.It was found that people who were deficient in Vitamin D were 25 percent more likely than other asthmatics to have had a recent asthma attack. "The results add more evidence to the link between Vitamin D and asthma, suggesting beneficial effects of Vitamin D on asthma exacerbation," Dr. Confino-Cohen added. (Treating Asthma with Ayurveda)The primary source of Vitamin D is exposure to the sun, but nutritionists also recommend consumption of other natural sources of Vitamin D like fish, eggs, cod liver oil, soy milk and more. (Top 5 Vitamin-D Rich Foods)Based on these findings, researchers recommend that people whose asthma cannot be controlled with existing treatments should have their Vitamin D levels tested.With inputs from IANS