Supplements May Cut the Risk of Asthma Attacks by Half: Study

Taking oral vitamin D supplements in addition to standard asthma medication may cut the risk of asthma attacks, in people with moderate asthma, says a new study. According to the study, published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine Journal, there was 50 percent reduction in the risk of people experiencing at least one asthma attack requiring Accident and Emergency Department attendance or hospitalization. Previous research said that vitamin D supplements could help alleviate pain.Asthma deaths arise primarily during episodes of acute worsening of symptoms, known as attacks or exacerbations that are commonly triggered by viral upper respiratory infections. According to the researchers of the Queen Mary University of London, vitamin D is thought to protect against such attacks by boosting immune responses to respiratory viruses and dampening down hazardous airway inflammation.The team of researchers analysed 955 participants in seven controlled trials that tested the use of vitamin D supplements. They also found a 30 percent reduction in the rate of asthma attacks. The results were based on data from adults with mild to moderate asthma- children and adults with severe asthma were relatively underrepresented in the data