Let's put vitamin D in the water

Vitamin D is synthesized in the skin via sunlight. But according to piles of research in recent years, most people aren't getting enough of the nutrient, and deficiencies may contribute to cancer, diabetes and cognitive decline. The latest study links vitamin D deficiency and asthma.

In a study at National Jewish Health in Denver, researchers found that adult asthma patients with the highest levels of vitamin D in their blood had better lung function compared with people with the lowest levels.  Higher vitamin D levels were associated with an increased response to dexamethasone, an inhaled steroid that many patients use to control their symptoms. The study, published today in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, also found that obese asthma patients tended to have lower vitamin D levels.

"Our findings suggest that vitamin D levels influence a number of important features of asthma, including lung function, bronchospasm and therapeutic response to steroids," Dr. Rand Sutherland, chief of the pulmonary division at National Jewish Health, said in a news release. "The next question to answer is whether giving supplemental vitamin D will lead to clinical improvements in patients with asthma. We are developing prospective studies to answer that."

Here's an August 2009 Los Angeles Times story discussing the emerging research on vitamin D deficiency. Maybe adding it to water isn't a great idea, but neither is overexposure to sunlight. Supplements anyone?

-- Shari Roan

Photo credit: Getty Images

Comments

[AAAAANDRE]

This is the second stupidest idea since flouridated water...

et's just round people up and force them into "Vitamin D" camps for their injections!

We can also add tranquilizers, brain boosters, penicillin, protein powder, and laxatives. Then we wouldn't need to buy food... Just drink the water!

Too bad nobody drinks tap water anymore. It would be a total waste.

Can't we just have PURE water????

[s. spilman]

How did "overexposure to sunlight" creep into this story? One should be more concerned about vitamin D toxicity from overconsumption of the synthetic vitamin.

[RUJoking?!]

God forbid we manage our own health without Big Mother gov't...

[B]

Uh, "Big Mother gov't" also gets stuck with huge public health costs when people can't take care of their own health. God forbid the government actually tries to prevent people from getting sick in the first place! We wouldn't want that...

[Kevin]

Shari: May I ask how exactly would you put vitamin D into the water supply? It's a molecule that is not easily dissolved in water (in plant form or animal form) compared to fluoride.

[vit D]

african americans have lower levels of 25 oh D than caucasion, yet they develop fewer osteoporotic fractures. this suggest that factors other than vitamin D provide protection. african american have an advantage in bone density from early childhood, a function of their more efficient calcium economy.