Asthma is a respiratory disease characterized by coughing, shortness of breath and wheezing. According to Merck Manual, asthma affects more than 20 million Americans, including 6 million children, and the incidence of this condition is increasing. Deficiencies in vitamins A, C and D have been linked with asthma. Improving your diet and supplementing with these nutrients under medical supervision may help.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin, and dietary sources of this nutrient include fatty fish, eggs and fortified milk and cereals. Vitamin D is also produced in the skin when exposed to sun. In the September 2010 issue of "Annals of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology," a summary of clinical studies published between 1950 and 2009 evaluated the role of vitamin D for asthma. The researchers concluded that vitamin D has multiple effects that play a role in important mechanisms involved in the development of asthma. A deficiency of the nutrient is linked with increased airway hyper-reactivity, low lung function and worse control of asthma. It also may be linked with steroid resistance. Supplementation with vitamin D may help you control symptoms of asthma.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin found in fruits such as berries, citrus fruits, mangoes and papaya. Green leafy vegetables, asparagus, peppers, broccoli and avocado are also sources of vitamin C. According to Michael Murray, researcher and author of "The Pill Book Guide to Natural Medicines," vitamin C is rated as "B+" for effectiveness and "A" for safety in the treatment of asthma. This rating means that in relation to asthma treatment, vitamin C yielded very good results in a small numbers of double blind studies and had an excellent safety profile.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin found in animal and fish livers as well as green and yellow vegetables and fruits. A study published by S. Allen and colleagues in the July 2009 issue of "Thorax" summarized the benefits of vitamin A,C and E in asthma treatment from 40 clinical studies. The researchers concluded that low dietary levels of vitamins A and C are linked with significantly increased odds of developing asthma and wheezing, while low vitamin E levels were not associated with asthma.
References
- Merk Manual: Asthma
- Annals of Asthma, Allergy & Immunology: The Role of Vitamin D in Asthma
- Thorax: Association Between Antioxidant Vitamins and Asthma Outcome Measures: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
- "The Pill Book Guide To Natural Medicine"; Michael Murray, ND; 2002
