Study: Vitamin D Cuts Risk of Severe Asthma Attacks in Half

Vitamin D supplements can cut the risk of severe asthma attacks in half, shows a British study published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine journal last week.

The study, funded by the National Institute for Health Research, found people who took Vitamin D pills daily were 30 percent less likely to have attacks requiring steroids and 50 percent less likely to suffer attacks requiring hospitalization.

More than 5 million British people (8 percent) suffer from asthma, with three of them dying from attacks per day.

The Daily Mail reports that nearly a third of the British population is deficient in Vitamin D, “thanks to our modern diets, indoor lifestyle and grey weather.”

While you’d think Americans got a little more sunshine, we fare even worse. About three-quarters of us are Vitamin D deficient and more than 25 million of us (16 percent) suffer from asthma. About 10 of us die per day from asthma attacks.

Vitamin D has long been touted for its ability to strengthen bones, but the new study adds to the growing body of evidence that it also supports immune function and respiratory health.

The ideal source of vitamin D is that which our skin makes when exposed to the sun, but it can also be obtained in concentrated amounts in pasture-raised liver, red meat, eggs and oily fish or in high-quality supplements.