Can vitamin d be used to prevent asthma attacks?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 339 million people worldwide have asthma. Asthma symptoms often recur and appear suddenly. Until now, most asthma medications only relieve symptoms and help control them. However, vitamin D from sunlight and dietary supplements are reported to help prevent the risk of asthma relapse. Check out the full explanation below.

Benefits of vitamin D to prevent asthma relapse

Vitamin D is a vitamin that is responsible for maintaining the body's immune system as a whole. Adequate intake of vitamin D every day can improve the immune system's response to substances that trigger asthma attacks. This can help relieve the dangerous inflammatory response and reduce asthma symptoms.

Several studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency is often associated with the risk of asthma attacks, both in children and adults. Therefore, vitamin D is considered as a supplement to treat asthma symptoms and maintain overall lung function.

Here are the 2 main benefits of vitamin D for people with asthma:

1. Reducing the risk of asthma attacks

A study published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine proved that taking vitamin D supplements along with asthma medications can reduce the risk of asthma attacks by 50 percent. This study included 955 people who had moderate asthma and needed steroids for their asthma medication.

After routinely taking vitamin D supplements, researchers reported that the frequency of participants going back and forth to the hospital and being hospitalized because of a recurrence of severe asthma attacks was now significantly reduced.

Another study contained in the journal Cochrane also showed similar results. The study, which lasted for 12 months, involved 435 children and 658 adults. Most of the participants had mild to moderate asthma.

The researchers found that giving vitamin D supplements reduced the risk of severe asthma attacks as well as patient visits to the hospital from 6% to 3%.

2. Reducing the use of asthma drugs

In addition to reducing asthma attacks and the frequency of hospitalization, taking vitamin D supplements also reduces the use of steroids for the treatment of asthma.

This steroid administration is usually used to prevent asthma attacks, not relieve symptoms when they recur. This study also reported that there were no side effects from vitamin D supplements.

However, further research is still needed whether this vitamin D supplement can provide the same effect in asthmatic people who do not yet need steroid therapy to control their asthma.

In addition, the studies mentioned above involved participants who mostly had mild to moderate asthma. So, it is not certain what effect vitamin D will have in patients with severe or severe asthma.

In addition, it is not known whether vitamin D supplements reduce the risk of acute asthma attack in all patients, or only in patients who are indeed deficient in vitamin D.

Source of vitamin D for asthma sufferers

Vitamin D can be found in many different ways. However, 80% of the vitamin D your body needs comes from sunlight. Your body will produce vitamin D automatically when exposed to sunlight.

According to WHO, you only need to be exposed to the sun for at least 5-15 minutes on the arms, hands and face, at least two to three times a week without using sunscreen. For the Indonesian region, the recommended sunbathing time is from 10 am to 2 pm.

Apart from sunlight, you can also get the best source of vitamin D from the foods you consume daily. Therefore, it is important to include vitamin D in the daily diet of people with asthma. Some foods that are known to be high in vitamin D are:

• cod liver oil
• salmon
• tuna
• sardines
• egg yolk
• beef liver
• milk
• button mushrooms

In addition to the various foods and drinks that have been mentioned above, you can also get this vitamin intake from supplements. For some people, vitamin D supplements may be able to help meet the intake of these vitamins that the body needs.

Don't forget, before taking supplements, consult your doctor first for instructions on taking these supplements appropriately.