TWO cheap vitamin supplements could lower the risk of asthma attacks and slow ageing, research shows.
Higher levels of vitamin A was linked to better lung function in people with asthma.
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Vitamin A and D tablets could help ease asthma symptoms and slow ageing, researchers say Credit: Getty
People with high levels of the vitamins had better lung function Credit: Getty
Vitamin D also seemed to boost lung health, with the added benefit of slowing biological ageing, research by the Brigham and Women’s Hospital showed.
Vitamin A helps keep skin, eyesight and the immune system healthy, while Vitamin D supports the bones and muscles.
Earlier research suggests that both may protect against asthma and influence lung development – though results vary depending on the dose.
The US research team examined how the vitamins affected the health of people with asthma.
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They studied 1165 children with the condition, which is chronic and causes the airways to narrow and swell, leading to breathing difficulties.
Researchers also observed 1041 adults with asthma, monitoring vitamin A and D levels in both groups, as well as their lung capacity.
Participants were asked to exhale the maximum amount of air possible to measure the health of their lungs.
Adults also had their gene activity monitored, which gave clues about how fast their cells were ageing.
The findings showed that children and adults with asthma and higher vitamin A levels had better lung function than those with lower levels.
And among adults with asthma, those with higher levels of vitamin D in their blood – at least 30 ng/ml – had better lung function, than those with lower levels.
Having less than 20 ng/ml of vitamin D in the blood is considered a deficiency.
This can be more common in people with asthma, according to the study authors.
Low levels of this key vitamin have been linked to more severe disease, more frequent steroid use and sudden worsening of asthma symptoms, they went on.
Adults with higher levels of vitamin D in their blood also showed fewer signs of biological ageing – suggesting the nutrient may help slow the process.
Researchers said: “These findings emphasise the value of adequate vitamin D, not only for lung health but also in slowing age-related processes.”
But in a linked editorial, Drs Sze Man Tse and Genevieve Mailhot of the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montreal, and the University of Montreal, warned that the study doesn’t show that vitamin A and D directly improve lung health or stop biological ageing – only that high levels of the vitamins are linked to these health outcomes.
They said: “While these findings open a novel line of investigation linking vitamin D, biological ageing and lung health, there is a need for further studies to clarify causality.
“Overall, advancing our understanding of how nutritional exposures impact gene regulation may open new avenues for managing asthma across the lifespan.”
Previous research from 2017 suggested that taking vitamin D supplements may halve the risk of severe asthma attacks.
Meanwhile, a Cochrane review from 2021 found no harm in asthma patients taking vitamin D supplements.
The NHS actually recommends that all adults take 10 micrograms a day during winter months, when the sun is too weak for the body to make vitamin D.
However, a recent study indicated that many Brits remain deficient in the summer months, when the sunny weather should supposedly help top up vitamin D levels.
Both the vitamins mentioned in the study can be consumed through food sources too.
Vitamin A is present in cheese, eggs, oily fish, as well as milk and yoghurt.
Meanwhile, vitamin D can be found in oily fish, egg yolks, red meat and fortified cereals and spreads.
What are the signs of a vitamin D deficiency?
Low levels of vitamin D could cause:
Persistent fatigue or tiredness
Bone pain
Lower back pain
Muscle weakness, aches or cramps
Frequent illness or infections
Low mood and mood changes
Increased risk of fractures
Hair loss
