In observational cohorts, higher vitamin A levels were linked to better lung function in adults and children, with benefit seen with vitamin D among adults as well.Analysis suggested miRNAs and DNA methylation partially mediate the relationship between vitamin A and D levels and lung function.The findings didn't make any determinations of benefit from supplementation or dietary changes.
Higher vitamin A levels were linked to better lung function in adults and children, with the benefit seen with vitamin D among adults as well, a study showed.
Higher vitamin A levels correlated with significantly higher forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1; β=2.5 in children and 4.7 in adults) and forced vital capacity (FVC; β=7.6 in children and 3.4 in adults), Michael McGeachie, PhD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues reported in Thorax.
Children showed a lower ratio of FEV1/FVC with higher vitamin A (β=-3.9), whereas the relationship was positive for adults (β=2.5).
The two age groups also differed on impact of vitamin D, which didn't correlate with lung function measures in kids but had significantly positive associations with FEV1 (β=0.16) and FVC (β=0.18) among adults. "This discrepancy in children may stem from insufficient statistical power to detect trends in vitamin D levels in our childhood cohort," the researchers noted, as only about half of the child cohort had these levels measured.
