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

The Association Between Dietary Magnesium Intake with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Lung Function in US Population: a Cross-sectional Study

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is now considered among the top three contributors to mortality globally. There is limited understanding surrounding the contribution of magnesium to the progression of COPD. This survey aims to evaluate the connection between dietary magnesium intake and both lung function and COPD prevalence among the US population. The research comprised 4865 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) program conducted from 2007 to 2012. To evaluate the association between dietary magnesium intake and lung function as well as COPD, the study conducted multiple regression analyses, stratified analyses, and smoothed curves. In this study, we explored the relationship between higher magnesium intake and higher FEV1 [β = 0.21 (95% CI 0.12, 0.30)] and FVC [β = 0.25 (95% CI 0.14, 0.36)] after accounting for all potential confounding factors. We demonstrated a relationship between increased magnesium intake and reduced odds of developing COPD [OR = 0.9993 (95% CI 0.9987, 1.0000)]. The results of stratified analyses further indicated that the relationship between magnesium intake and the risk of COPD is more pronounced in the 40-60 age group and males. The study demonstrated positive associations between the intake of dietary magnesium and both FEV1 and FVC. Additionally, an adverse relationship between magnesium intake and the prevalence of COPD was also observed, suggesting that supplementation with magnesium may be a practical approach to preventing and managing COPD.

Nonlinear correlation and mediation effects between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and all-cause mortality in COPD patients

Background

Numerous studies have shown that low levels of vitamin D are linked to a higher risk of inflammatory diseases and their progression. However, how vitamin D levels affect mortality in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients is still unclear. Thus, this study aimed to explore the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels and the risk of death from all causes in U.S. adults with COPD.

Methods

This study analyzed 1,876 adults with COPD from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005-2018). Mortality data up to December 31, 2019, were obtained from the National Death Index (NDI) records. Participants were categorized into three groups according to their 25(OH)D levels: Q1 (<50.0 nmol/L) for deficiency; Q2 (50.0-74.9 nmol/L) for insufficiency; and Q3 (≥75.0 nmol/L) for adequacy. A weighted Cox regression model assessed the link between 25(OH)D levels and mortality. Kaplan-Meier survival curves, subgroup, and sensitivity analyses were conducted. Additionally, the relationship between 25(OH)D and the hazard ratio (HR) was detailed through restricted cubic spline analysis. Mediation analysis revealed how 25(OH)D mediates the relationship between Dietary Inflammatory Index and mortality.

Results

There were 395 all-cause deaths during the follow-up, resulting in a mortality rate of 21.06%. After adjusting for potential confounders, higher 25(OH)D levels significantly correlated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality in COPD patients (HR = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.37-0.72, p < 0.001). Restricted cubic spline analysis indicated a non-linear relationship between 25(OH)D levels and all-cause mortality (p for nonlinear = 0.023), with levels below 63.4 nmol/L posing an independent risk for all-cause mortality in COPD patients (HR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.97-0.99, p = 0.005). Sensitivity and subgroup analyses confirmed our results' robustness, with mediation analysis showing 25(OH)D's 22% mediating effect on diet-induced inflammation and all-cause mortality in COPD patients.

Conclusion

25(OH)D independently lowers the risk of all-cause mortality in COPD patients, with a non-linear L-shaped correlation, and mediates the effect of Dietary Inflammatory Index on mortality, suggesting new therapeutic possibilities.

The Power of Vitamin D: Is the Future in Precision Nutrition through Personalized Supplementation Plans?

In the last few decades, vitamin D has undeniably been one of the most studied nutrients. Despite our ability to produce vitamin D through sunlight exposure, its presence in several natural food sources and fortified foods, and its widespread availability as a dietary supplement, vitamin D deficiency is a serious public health problem, affecting nearly 50% of the global population. Low serum levels of vitamin D are being associated with increased susceptibility to numerous health conditions, including respiratory infections, mental health, autoimmune diseases, and different cancer types. Although the association between vitamin D status and health is well-established, the exact beneficial effects of vitamin D are still inconclusive and indefinite, especially when considering the prevention and treatment of different health conditions and the determination of an appropriate dosage to exert those beneficial effects in various population groups. Therefore, further research is needed. With constant improvements in our understanding of individual variations in vitamin D metabolism and requirements, in the future, precision nutrition and personalized supplementation plans could prove beneficial.

Vitamin D supplementation may be beneficial in improving the prognosis of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the intensive care unit: a retrospective study

Background

Vitamin D is a crucial fat-soluble vitamin that has garnered significant attention due to its potential impact on respiratory health. It is noteworthy that many patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often experience deficiencies or insufficiencies of vitamin D. To address this issue, our retrospective study aimed to explore the potential association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration and the prognoses of COPD patients in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Methods

This study utilised data from the Medical Information Marketplace in Intensive Care IV (MIMIC-IV), a database of patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in the United States of America, with a focus on patients with a diagnosis of COPD. These patients were categorized into two groups: those who received vitamin D supplementation during their ICU stay and those who did not. We assessed in-hospital mortality and ICU mortality outcomes. Our analysis involved various analytical tools, including Kaplan-Meier survival curves, Cox proportional risk regression models, and subgroup analyses, to investigate the relationship between vitamin D supplementation and these outcomes. Additionally, we employed propensity-score matching (PSM) to enhance the reliability of our findings.

Results

The study included a total of 3,203 COPD patients, with 587 in the vitamin D group and 2,616 in the no-vitamin D group. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve demonstrated a significant difference in survival probability between the two groups. After adjusting for potential confounders using Cox regression models, the vitamin D group exhibited a substantially lower risk of in-hospital and ICU mortalities compared to the no-vitamin D group. The hazard ratios for in-hospital and ICU mortalities in the vitamin D group were 1.7 (95% CI: 1.3, 2.3) and 1.8 (95% CI: 1.2, 2.6), respectively. Propensity-score matching (PSM) estimation yielded consistent results. Furthermore, in the subgroup analysis, female patients who received vitamin D supplementation showed a reduced risk of in-hospital mortality.

Conclusion

The study suggests that vitamin D supplementation may be linked to a reduction in in-hospital and ICU mortalities among COPD patients in the ICU. Of particular note is the potential benefit observed in terms of in-hospital mortality, especially for female patients.

The effects of vitamin D supplementation on inflammatory biomarkers in patients with asthma: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background

While the association between vitamin D and several inflammatory biomarkers in asthma patients has been extensively reported, it remains unclear whether supplementation modifies these biomarkers. This review aims to evaluate the impact of vitamin D supplementation on inflammatory biomarkers measured in vivo in individuals with asthma.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published until November 2022 in six electronic databases evaluating the impact of vitamin D supplementation (any dose, form, administration route, frequency, or duration) compared to placebo in children or adults. The two co-primary outcomes were serum IgE and blood eosinophils reported at the endpoint. Secondary outcomes included other markers of type 2 inflammation (e.g., sputum eosinophils, fractional exhaled nitric oxide, etc.), anti-inflammatory biomarkers (e.g., interleukin (IL)-10, etc.), markers of non-type 2 inflammation (e.g., high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, etc.), and non-specific biomarkers (e.g., macrophages, etc.). Data were aggregated using fixed or random effect models.

Results

Thirteen RCTs (5 in adults, 5 in pediatric patients, and 3 in mixed age groups) testing doses of vitamin D supplementation ranging from 800 to 400,000 IU over periods of 6 weeks to 12 months were included. Eight studies provided data on serum IgE and four on blood eosinophils. As secondary outcomes, three studies reported on sputum eosinophils, four on FeNO, five on serum IL-10, and two on airway IL-10. Compared to placebo, vitamin D supplementation had no significant effect on serum IgE (Mean difference [MD] [95% CI]: 0.06 [-0.13, 0.26] IU/mL), blood eosinophils (MD [95% CI]: - 0.02 [-0.11, 0.07] 103/μL), or FeNO (MD [95% CI]: -4.10 [-10.95, 2.75] ppb) at the endpoint. However, the vitamin D supplementation group showed higher serum IL-10 levels compared to placebo (MD [95% CI]: 18.85 [1.11, 36.59] pg/ml) at the endpoint. Although data could not be aggregated, narrative synthesis suggested no significant effect of supplementation on sputum eosinophils and IL-10 in both sputum and exhaled breath condensate, at the endpoint.

Conclusion

Vitamin D supplementation in individuals with asthma was not associated with lower inflammatory biomarkers related to type 2 inflammation. However, it was significantly associated with higher serum IL-10 compared to placebo.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier CRD42022365666.

Vitamin D Supplementation: A Review of the Evidence Arguing for a Daily Dose of 2000 International Units (50 µg) of Vitamin D for Adults in the General Population

Vitamin D deficiency is considered a public health problem due to its worldwide high prevalence and adverse clinical consequences regarding musculoskeletal health. In addition, vitamin D may also be crucial for the prevention of certain extraskeletal diseases. Despite decades of intensive scientific research, several knowledge gaps remain regarding the precise definition of vitamin D deficiency and sufficiency, the health benefits of improving vitamin D status, and the required vitamin D intakes. Consequently, various societies and expert groups have released heterogeneous recommendations on the dosages for vitamin D supplementation. In this brief narrative review, we outline and discuss recent advances regarding the scientific evidence arguing for a daily vitamin D supplementation with 2000 international units (IU) (50 µg) of vitamin D3 to prevent and treat vitamin D deficiency. According to data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs), such a dose may improve some health outcomes and is sufficient to raise and maintain serum 25(OH)D concentrations above 50 nmol/L (20 ng/mL) and above 75 nmol/L (30 ng/mL) in >99% and >90% of the general adult population, respectively. According to large vitamin D RCTs, there are no significant safety concerns in supplementing such a dose for several years, even in individuals with an already sufficient vitamin D status at baseline. A daily vitamin D supplementation with 2000 IU (50 µg) may be considered a simple, effective, and safe dosage to prevent and treat vitamin D deficiency in the adult general population.

Causal relationship between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and BMD at different sites: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study

Observational studies have demonstrated a correlation between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and osteoporosis (OP). However, it is unclear whether there is genetic causality between COPD and bone mineral density (BMD) reduction at different sites. This study assessed the causal relationship between COPD and BMD in various anatomical locations. Data associated with COPD and BMD were obtained from published genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were strongly associated with COPD and BMD could serve as instrumental variables for the analysis. Inverse variance weighted, MR-Egger and weighted median were manipulated to evaluate causality. Subsequently, we conducted heterogeneity tests using Cochran Q test and tested for pleiotropy using the MR-Egger intercept. We performed leave-one-out sensitivity analysis to assess the robustness of the results. Additionally, we obtained more accurate causal genetic associations by removing any pleiotropic outlying SNPs and performed Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis with the remaining data. Our findings established that COPD was negatively associated with Heel-BMD (odds ratio[OR] = 0.978, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.966, 0.990, P = .0003) but not LS-BMD (OR = 0.981, 95% CI: 0.943, 1.020, P = .335), FA-BMD (OR = 0.984, 95% CI: 0.927, 1.046, P = .616), and FN-BMD (OR = 0.981, 95% CI: 0.950, 1.014, P = .249). In reverse MR analysis, the results showed no significant causal effect of BMD at different sites on COPD. The results were proved to be dependable and steady by sensitivity, heterogeneity, and pleiotropy analysis. We found that COPD increases the risk of decreased heel BMD, however, there is no evidence that the loss of BMD increases the risk of COPD.

Vitamin D status in hospitalized COVID‑19 patients is associated with disease severity and IL-5 production

BACKGROUND

There are many studies on the relationship between vitamin D and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), while the results are matters of debate and the mechanisms remain unknown. The present study was performed to assess the impact of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels on the severity of disease in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and identify potential mechanisms of 25(OH)D alterations.

METHODS

A total of 399 hospitalized COVID-19 patients were recruited from three centers between December 19, 2022, and February 1, 2023. Medical history, laboratory examination, and radiologic data were retrospectively collected. The patients were divided into four groups based on disease severity. Serum 25(OH)D levels in the patients were determined by the electrochemiluminescence method and cytokines were detected by flow cytometry. The relationship between serum 25(OH)D status and the severity of COVID-19, and the correlation between 25(OH)D levels and cytokines in COVID-19 patients were assessed.

RESULTS

Levels of 25(OH)D were significantly lower in the deceased group than in the other three groups (P < 0.05), and lower in the critical group than in the general group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the 25(OH)D levels between the general and severe groups (P > 0.05). The levels of 25(OH)D (odds ratio = 0.986, 95% confidence interval: 0.973-0.998, P = 0.024) and IL-5 (odds ratio = 1.239, 95% confidence interval: 1.104-1.391, P = 0.04) were independent risk factors for the severity of COVID-19 disease upon admission. Serum 25(OH)D levels were able to predict the mortality of patients with COVID-19, and the predictive value was even higher when combined with IL-5 levels and eosinophil (Eos) count. Circulating 25(OH)D status correlated negatively with the expression of IL-5 (r=-0.262, P < 0.001) and was positively linked with CD8+ T cell counts (r=-0.121, P < 0.05) in patients with COVID-19.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found that the serum 25(OH)D status combined with IL-5 levels and Eos counts could be identified as a predictive factor for recognizing the risk of COVID-19 mortality. The serum 25(OH)D status in COVID-19 patients correlated negatively with the expression of IL-5. The potential mechanism for this relationship is worth further exploration.

The Effectiveness of Supplementation with Key Vitamins, Minerals, Antioxidants and Specific Nutritional Supplements in COPD-A Review

Currently, an increasing amount of evidence supports the notion that vitamins C, D and E, carotenoids, and omega-3 fatty acids may protect against the progression of chronic respiratory diseases. Although chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) primarily affects the lung, it is often accompanied by extrapulmonary manifestations such as weight loss and malnutrition, skeletal muscle dysfunction, and an excess of harmful oxidants, which can lead to a decline in quality of life and possible death. Recently, the role of various vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in mitigating the effects of environmental pollution and smoking has received significant attention. Therefore, this review evaluates the most relevant and up-to-date evidence on this topic. We conducted a literature review between 15 May 2018 and 15 May 2023, using the electronic database PubMed. Our search keywords included COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, FEV₁, supplementation: vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin C, vitamin B, omega-3, minerals, antioxidants, specific nutrient supplementations, clinical trials, and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). We focused on studies that measured the serum levels of vitamins, as these are a more objective measure than patient self-reports. Our findings suggest that the role of appropriate dietary supplements needs to be reconsidered for individuals who are predisposed to or at risk of these conditions.