Notice: Function _load_textdomain_just_in_time was called incorrectly. Translation loading for the wordpress-seo domain was triggered too early. This is usually an indicator for some code in the plugin or theme running too early. Translations should be loaded at the init action or later. Please see Debugging in WordPress for more information. (This message was added in version 6.7.0.) in /var/www/html/wp-includes/functions.php on line 6260 Study Evaluates Effect of Vitamin D On Asthma & Wheezing - Nutraceuticals World

What are you searching for?

Sign in
Research

Study Evaluates Effect of Vitamin D On Asthma & Wheezing

Author Image

By: Sean Moloughney

Editor, Nutraceuticals World

Asthma and wheezing begin early in life, and prenatal vitamin D deficiency has been variably associated with these disorders. For this study, published in JAMA, researchers sought to determine whether prenatal vitamin D (cholecalciferol) supplementation can prevent asthma or recurrent wheeze in early childhood.

The Vitamin D Antenatal Asthma Reduction Trial (VDAART) was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted in three centers across the U.S. Enrollment began in October 2009 and completed follow-up in January 2015. A total of 881 pregnant women between the ages of 18 and 39 years at high risk of having children with asthma were randomized at 10-18 weeks’ gestation. Five participants were deemed ineligible shortly after randomization and were discontinued. A total of 440 women were randomized to receive daily 4,000 IU vitamin D plus a prenatal vitamin containing 400 IU vitamin D, and 436 women were randomized to receive a placebo plus a prenatal vitamin containing 400 IU vitamin D. Main outcomes and measures included coprimary outcomes of 1) parental report of physician-diagnosed asthma or recurrent wheezing through 3 years of age and 2) third trimester maternal 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels.

A total of 810 infants were born in the study, and 806 were included in the analyses for the 3-year outcomes. Two hundred eighteen children developed asthma or recurrent wheeze: 98 of 405 (24.3%; 95% CI, 18.7%-28.5%) in the 4,400-IU group vs. 120 of 401 (30.4%, 95% CI, 25.7%-73.1%) in the 400-IU group (hazard ratio, 0.8; 95% CI, 0.6-1.0; P = .051). Of the women in the 4,400-IU group whose blood levels were checked, 289 (74.9%) had 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels of 30 ng/mL or higher by the third trimester of pregnancy compared with 133 of 391 (34.0%) in the 400-IU group (difference, 40.9%; 95% CI, 34.2%-47.5%, P < .001).

Researchers concluded that in pregnant women at risk of having a child with asthma, supplementation with 4,400 IU/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. Longer follow-up of the children is ongoing.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Get the latest Nutraceuticals World news, insights and analysis in your Google Search and AI experiences.

Add Nutraceuticals World as a preferred source on Google (opens in a new tab)

Keep Up With Our Content. Subscribe To Nutraceuticals World Newsletters

Topics