Efficacy of vitamin D supplementation on COPD and asthma control: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Study answer

What this study found

Vitamin D supplementation showed some beneficial effects on respiratory outcomes, but the overall response was heterogeneous. Pooled findings favored improvements in pulmonary function, including FEV1% and, in asthma, FEV1/FVC, and in COPD quality of life measured by SGRQ also improved. Vitamin D was associated with reduced inflammatory markers such as IL-5 and IgE, and IL-10 increased in participants with vitamin D deficiency. Exacerbations and mortality were not consistently affected, and the authors caution that effects may be overestimated despite the low-cost, low-risk profile of…

Study & population

Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials in participants with COPD or asthma.

Intervention

Vitamin D supplementation was evaluated across randomized trials in COPD and asthma, using a wide range of regimens including daily, weekly, monthly, single-dose, and loading-plus-maintenance approaches.

Key limitation

The included trials were heterogeneous in population, condition, dose, and treatment duration, which limits certainty about the size and consistency of benefit.

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Original abstract