Vitamin D levels and food and environmental allergies in the United States: Results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2006
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2011.01.017 | How to Cite or Link Using DOI
Shimi Sharief MDa, Sunit Jariwala MDb, Juhi Kumar MD, MPHc, Paul Muntner PhDd and Michal L. Melamed MD, MHSe, michal.melamed at einstein.yu.edu
a Department of Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago
b Department of Allergy and Immunology, Montefiore Medical Center, Bronx, NY
c Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
d Department of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health, Birmingham, Ala
e Departments of Medicine and Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
Received 26 April 2010; ;revised 5 January 2011; ;accepted 10 January 2011. ;Available online 16 February 2011.
Background
Previous research supports a possible link between low vitamin D levels and atopic disease. However, the association between low vitamin D levels and total and allergen-specific IgE levels has not been studied.
Objective
We sought to test the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) deficiency (<15 ng/mL) and insufficiency (15-29 ng/mL) and allergic sensitization measured by serum IgE levels in a US nationally representative sample of 3136 children and adolescents and 3454 adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2006.
Methods
The association of 25(OH)D deficiency with 17 different allergens was assessed after adjustment for potential confounders, including age; sex; race/ethnicity; obesity, low socioeconomic status; frequency of milk intake; daily hours spent watching television, playing videogames, or using a computer; serum cotinine levels; and vitamin D supplement use.
Results
In children and adolescents allergic sensitization to 11 of 17 allergens was more common in those with 25(OH)D deficiency. Compared with sufficient vitamin D levels of greater than 30 ng/mL, after multivariate adjustment, 25(OH)D levels of less than 15 ng/mL were associated with
peanut (odds ratio [OR], 2.39; 95% CI, 1.29-4.45),
ragweed (OR, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.20-2.80), and
oak (OR, 4.75; 95% CI, 1.53-4.94) allergies (P < .01 for all).
Eight other allergens were associated with 25(OH)D deficiency, with P values of less than .05 but greater than .01. There were no consistent associations seen between 25(OH)D levels and allergic sensitization in adults.
Conclusion
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with higher levels of IgE sensitization in children and adolescents. Further research is needed to confirm these findings.
See also VitaminDWiki
- 2X more allergies if 11th womb week was in Spring – Vitamin D or pollen Oct 2010
- Mechanisms for hypothesis between sunshine and food allergy - July 2010
- Autoimmunity and vitamin D - several articles April 2010
The items in Autoimmune and Infant-Child are listed here:
- Food allergy 4 X more likely in 2 year-old children with low Vitamin D – meta-analysis Feb 2023
- Perhaps getting Vitamin D as infant decreases risk of Autoimmune Diseases as adult
- Breastfeeding a child without adding vitamin D increases risk of many food allergies (egg whites in this case) – Jan 2020
- Antibiotics increased the risk of asthma by 47%, and allergies by 25% - Dec 2019
- Low vitamin D newborns getting cows milk formula more likely to get allergies – RCT Oct 2019
- Childhood allergies (Atopy) 4.8 X more likely if low vitamin D in early pregnancy – Aug 2019
- Kawasaki disease (strawberry tongue) not treated by occasional 400 IU of Vitamin D – Feb 2019
- Food allergy is linked to season of birth, sun exposure, and vitamin D deficiency – Jan 2019
- Childhood Food Allergies (UK 1 in 14) – huge recent increase (low vitamin D) - Dec 2018
- Food allergies are associated with Vitamin D thru genes, etc. – March 2018
- Food allergies in children may be due to earlier low Vitamin D, Omega-3 and Zinc – Aug 2017
- T1 Diabetes associated with many other autoimmune diseases (all related to low vitamin D) – May 2017
- Infant allergy to cow’s milk will go away if have high levels of vitamin D – Jan 2017
- Food allergies and low vitamin D – thymus may be the connection – June 2016
- Food allergies 6 times higher in South Australia - 2009
- Hypothesis – Australia has highest rate of food allergy due to avoiding the sun – Sept 2015
- Food allergy 12X more likely if low vitamin D and vitamin D binding gene problem – Aug 2015
- Too much vitamin D: 1 pcnt increase in infants with food allergy, too little: 500 pcnt increase in children with food allergy - Aug 2015
- Kawasaki disease (strawberry tongue) associated with very low vitamin D – May 2015
- Less sun (less vitamin D) more anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction) – June 2014
- Low vitamin D at birth associated with later milk sensitization, allergic rhinitis and asthma – Nov 2014
- Pink eye (seasonal allergic conjunctivitis) associated with low vitamin D and high vitamin E – March 2014
- 11X more non-immigrant children allergic to peanuts if vitamin D less than 20 ng – Feb 2013
- 30 to 40 ng of vitamin D associated with the least peanut allergy – Nov 2012
- High level of maternal vitamin D and infant food allergy – controversy
- Youths with autoimmunity disorders were 2.3 X more likely to be vitamin D deficient – July 2012
- Still unsure of association between vitamin D and asthma and allergies – review April 2012
- Allergy - Overview
- 3X more allergy to peanuts if child born with low UV – Feb 2011
- More childhood allergies when vitamin D is less than 15 ng – Feb 2011