Study: Vitamin D not effective at combating asthma symptoms

Vitamin D is not effective at reducing chances of an asthma attack, according to a new report.

According to a new study, vitamin D supplements are not effective at reducing a person’s asthma symptoms. Although it has long been believed that asthmatics with low levels of the mineral might benefit from consuming more of it, new research from the Washington University School of Medicine has found that this is not the case.

The research team at the St. Louis, MO school was led by Dr. Mario Castro, which looked at over 400 subjects who suffer from asthma that were separated into two different groups. The first group was required to take an initial dose of 100,000 IU of vitamin D, with a 4,000 IU dose after that for 28 weeks. Subjects in the second group were given a placebo.

At the end of the study period, what the researchers found was that those taking the vitamin D did not see a reduction in their asthma symptoms, compared with those who were taking the fake medication. With a detailed look, 28 percent of patients taking the vitamin D experienced a treatment failure – a decline in lung function – compared with 29 percent in the placebo group.

“In adults with persistent asthma and lower vitamin D levels, treatment with vitamin D3 did not reduce the rate of first treatment failure or exacerbation. These findings do not support a strategy of therapeutic vitamin D3 supplementation in patients with symptomatic asthma,” the report says.

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