Vitamin D Supports Lung Health

A recently published study evaluated the role that vitamin D plays in lung function in older adults. Over 35 million Americans have some type of chronic lung disease such as asthma or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health.

In this new study, researchers evaluated lung function using the Forced Expiratory Volume in One Second (FEV1) pulmonary test in 2,122 subjects between 70 and 79 years of age with no history of COPD at the beginning of the study. FEV1 is a common pulmonary function test used to evaluate obstructive and restrictive lung disease; this test measures the amount of air expelled in the first second of a forced exhalation. At the 2-year follow-up, serum vitamin D levels (25-OH-D) were also measured.

The study showed that serum vitamin D levels correlated with the FEV1 values. The results indicated that the subjects with inadequate levels of serum vitamin D, which were less than 10 ng/mL, had a reduction in the FEV1 of 215.5 mL, compared to the subjects with adequate levels of serum vitamin D (greater or equal to 30 ng/mL). The results were not affected by race, gender or smoking status.

The researchers stated, “These results, combined with other published evidence, suggest the possibility of lifestyle intervention in the elderly to preserve lung health.”

Reference:

Reardon BJ, Kritchevsky SB, Harris T, Houston DK, Bauer D, Koster A, Newman A, Cassano PA. Association of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-D) with Lung Function in the Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study. FASEB J. 2010; 24:562.6.