2016-09-01 10:02:27
Asthma and wheezing start early in life and vitamin D has been studied in this regard. In this article, the authors determined whether vitamin D supplementation can prevent asthma in early childhood [1]. The Vitamin D Antenatal Asthma Reduction Trial was randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. 440 women received 4000 IU of vitamin D daily and 436 received placebo plus pre-natal with 400 IU of vitamin D. Asthma outcomes were measured. The results showed that in pregnant women at risk of having a child with asthma, supplementation with 4400 IU/d (from the prenatal and additional vitamin D) of vitamin D compared with 400 IU/d significantly increased vitamin D levels in the women. The incidence of asthma and recurrent wheezing in their children at age 3 years was lower by 6.1%, but this did not meet statistical significance; however, the study may have been underpowered.
References
- Litonjua AA, et al. Effect of Prenatal Supplementation With Vitamin D on Asthma or Recurrent Wheezing in Offspring by Age 3 Years: The VDAART Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 315(4):362-70.