Although the committee charged with determining the recommended daily amount of nutrients cannot currently agree on how much vitamin D we need (New York Times), there is now plenty of research supporting its many health advantages. Dr. Mercola, author of the mercola.com site, states that some of the newest reports are indicating that low vitamin D levels in children can increase the severity of asthma.Studies have shown that children who were hospitalized with asthma-related problems typically had low levels of vitamin D in the bloodstream. This data seems to corroborate an Australian study from 2006 which showed that exposure to sunlight reduced the severity of asthma in mice.
And, according to the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, mothers who have adequate vitamin D supplementation while pregnant can actually reduce the risk that their children will later develop asthma between the ages of 3 and 5.
Jane Brody, who refers to vitamin D as the “sunshine vitamin,” reported in a recent column that since the powers that be are still in a quandary over optimal levels of the vitamin, it’s up to the consumer to look at the some of the research and decide how much to take.
These new associations between asthma severity and vitamin D are simply verification that the “sunshine vitamin” could be coming into its own. Brody writes that vitamin D has been shown to regulate balance in older people, and has been linked to a reduction in cancers of the breast, ovary, rectum, prostate and stomach.
Currently, the recommended daily allowance of vitamin D is 400 IUs, which, according to Dr. Mercola, is ten times less than the amount necessary for optimal health.
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