Can supplementation with vitamin D3 help patients with allergic asthma?

Germany: A recent study has demonstrated for the first time how taking vitamin D3 can alter the cellular inflammatory reaction in allergic asthma and alleviate asthma symptoms. The study was published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: Global on March 24, 2023. 

The research team demonstrated that taking vitamin D3 supplements positively affects asthma patients, underlining how important it is to have enough of this vitamin.

A vitamin D3 deficiency can lead to severe symptoms, for example, in people suffering from allergic asthma. This has already been shown in several studies. However, how exactly this vitamin influences the cellular inflammatory reaction in the body is not fully understood. 

Doctoral candidate Janina Grund and the working group members led by Prof. Dr. Susetta Finotto from the Department of Molecular Pneumology have investigated the clinical manifestation of asthma in preschool children and adults in the context of vitamin B3 levels in their blood and taking vitamin D3 supplements.

The team of researchers discovered that children and adults who took vitamin D3 supplements had less pronounced asthma symptoms and presented with less severe asthma while requiring fewer steroids for inhalation. In certain cells in the blood of people with higher levels of vitamin D3, the scientists discovered greater quantities of the protein blimp-1, that is responsible for controlling the immune response of T helper cells.

To better understand the mechanism, Janina Grund investigated the effects administering vitamin D3 has on the immune response in mice. Once again, the vitamin led to less severe cases of asthma.

She also found fewer allergy-inducing antibodies (IgE) responsible for certain allergic diseases such as hay fever, asthma or eczema. Administering higher vitamin D3 even triggered an anti-inflammatory reaction in the immune system, specifically with the messenger substance IL-10 and cells that create blimp-1.

Interestingly, the working group was able, for the first time to prove that the vitamin affects long-lived memory T cells that are key to the long-term immune response in the case of asthma.

The research team demonstrated that taking vitamin D3 supplements has a positive effect for asthma patients, underlining how important it is that they have enough of this vitamin. As it is hard to give specific recommendations for treatment based on this basic research, patients should contact their doctor if they have any questions.

Reference:

Janina C. Grund, Susanne Krammer, Zuqin Yang, Hannah Mitländer, Manfred Rauh, Sabine Zirlik, Alexander Kiefer, Theodor Zimmermann, Ralf J. Rieker, Carol I. Geppert, Nikolaos G. Papadopoulos, Susetta Finotto, Published:March 24, 2023 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacig.2023.100099