Children with asthma are usually prescribed medication rather than vitamins, but the proper supplementation can go a long way toward reducing symptoms of asthma. It's best to keep giving your child his medications as needed or recommended, at least until you talk with his doctor. However, if you'd like to go the natural route, try increasing your child's intake of a few key vitamins, whether through supplements or the foods you serve.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C can reduce the wheezing and coughing that go hand in hand with asthma and allergies, by lowering levels of histamine in the body. In a study done at Harvard Medical School, researchers found that "people who got at least 200mg of vitamin C a day had a 30 percent reduced risk of bronchitis or wheezing compared with people who got about 100mg of the vitamin daily," as reported in "Prevention" magazine. Scott Weiss, Ph.D., the study's co-author, explained that eating foods rich in vitamin C is linked to improved levels of lung capacity. You can give your child a chewable vitamin C tablet, or increase her intake of citrus fruits, cantaloupe, strawberries, red peppers, tomatoes, cabbage or broccoli.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is another antioxidant, like vitamin C. Although taking vitamin E has not been linked directly to asthma, there is a possible correlation. A study by scientists at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, published in 2006 in the "American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine," found that children born to mothers who had low levels of vitamin E while pregnant were five times more likely to suffer from asthma or wheezing than children whose mothers kept their levels of the vitamin high. Vitamin E can be found in oil-based capsules, or in egg yolks, whole grains, nuts, seeds, sardines and green leafy vegetables; do not give your child more than 600 IU of vitamin E daily without talking to his doctor first.
Vitamin A
A third antioxidant, vitamin A, in the form of beta-carotene, has been found to reduce symptoms of asthma after exercising. A 1999 study by the Department of Allergy at the Rabin Medical Center in Israel showed that patients taking 64mg of beta-carotene every day for a week were protected against exercise-induced asthma, while those taking a placebo were not. It is found in milk fortified with vitamin A, and in orange-colored fruits and vegetables like cantaloupe, squash, sweet potatoes and carrots, as well as dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, collards and kale.
Vitamin B
B vitamins such as vitamin B6 and niacin may reduce the frequency, severity and duration of asthma attacks your child suffers. According to a study by PJ Collip and associates, published in the "Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology" in August 1975, children taking 100 to 200mg of vitamin B6 daily experienced a dramatic reduction in asthma symptoms; however, a study on adults by Denver's National Jewish Center for Immunology and Respiratory Medicine, published in the same journal in February 1993, found no effect, which prompted a follow-up report in November 1993, by J.E. Kaslow, that it only worked on children. Harvard's Dr. Scott Weiss and Joel Schwartz of the Environmental Protection Agency, reported in the July 1990 issue of the "American Journal of Epidemiology" that niacin reduces wheezing and bronchitis. Doctors who recommend B vitamins for asthma typically suggest a daily dose of 50mg of vitamin B6, or 100mg of niacin. B vitamins are also found in protein-rich foods like meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, beans and dairy products, as well as whole grains and leafy green vegetables.
Vitamin D
A study published in the "American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine" in May, 2009, conducted by Harvard Medical School, found that children with low levels of vitamin D had hyperactive airways and were more likely to be hospitalized for asthma. They were also shown to have a higher sensitivity to dust mites. Vitamin D is found is milk and cereal that's been fortified, as well as fish, liver and egg yolks. If you choose supplements, give your child 400 IU of vitamin D3; however, he can also get a daily dose from spending 10 to 15 minutes in the sun.
