This story was first published in digitalhealth.net
Strong evidence for use of vitamin D to reduce asthma attacks
An independent review by the Cochrane research body of nine clinical trials has concluded that taking vitamin D supplements in addition to asthma medication considerably reduces the risk of severe asthma attacks.
The Cochrane review looked at nine recent clinical trials - seven involving 435 children and two studies involving 658 adults
Researchers maintained that while more studies are needed to clarify whether the supplement only helps patients who are vitamin D deficient, the trials confirmed that taking vitamin D reduced the risk of severe asthma attacks requiring a hospital admission or a visit to A&E from six per cent to three per cent.
Furthermore, the use of vitamin D reduced the rate of asthma attacks needing steroid treatment from 0.44 to 0.28 attacks per person per year.
The review follows advise from Public Health England which recommended that everyone over the age of one should consume 10 micrograms of vitamin D per day in order to protect bone and muscle health, particularly during the Winter months.
Figures show that one in 11 people are receiving treatment for asthma, with three asthma related deaths occurring each day in the UK.
Dr Erika Kennington, Asthma UK's head of research, said: "While this research shows promise, more evidence is needed to conclusively show whether Vitamin D can reduce asthma attacks and symptoms.
"With so many different types of asthma it could be that Vitamin D may benefit some people with the condition but not others. Asthma UK's research centres are working hard to discover how and why Vitamin D affects asthma symptoms and if it could be a potential treatment in the future."
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