Just yesterday we laid hands on an investigation which found novel means to tackle vitamin D insufficiency. And here is another analysis which points out the probable harmful effects of low vitamin D levels. According to a latest study initiated by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, kids with insufficient vitamin D levels are more likely to develop allergies. The study findings supposedly have important implications in the medical section.
Authors thoroughly assayed the serum vitamin D levels in blood collected from 2005-2006 through a nationally representative sample of more than 3,100 children and adolescents as well as 3,400 adults. They also examined surveys which combined interviews, physical examinations and laboratory studies. When levels of Immunoglobulin E (IgE) were measured, one of the blood tests presumably showed sensitivity towards 17 different allergens. The protein IgE is apparently made when the immune system responds to allergens.
On scrutinizing the study data, scientists were probably unable to find any association between vitamin D levels and allergies among adults. However, in children low vitamin D levels seemingly correlated with sensitivity to 11 of the 17 allergens tested. These possibly included environmental allergens such as ragweed, oak, dog, cockroach and food allergens like peanuts. Michal Melamed, M.D., M.H.S., assistant professor of medicine and of epidemiology and population health at Einstein and senior author of the study and colleagues mention that low vitamin D level need not cause allergies in children. Yet consuming appropriate amounts of the vitamin may be beneficial for kids.
The study was published in the February 17 online edition of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.