More childhood allergies when vitamin D is less than 15 ng

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@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 (25[OH]D) 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.

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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

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