Satisfying deep breath diminishes

Take a deep breath. Now exhale. Nice, isn’t it? In a world of seemingly unlimited gratifications, a deep breath is still one of the most satisfying pleasures in life. (Of course, the pleasure is considerably enhanced if you’re standing on a beach in Hawaii rather than sitting at a desk in an office building.)

As the years pass, our ability to achieve a fully satisfying deep breath diminishes. That’s because lung function deteriorates as part of the natural aging process – and that’s true whether you smoke or not. But one key vitamin may be able to put the breaks on the deterioration process.

Let the sun shine

Vitamin D seems to be getting a lot of attention lately. A recent feature I caught on one of my local TV stations reported on the anti-cancer benefits of vitamin D. Of course, the report concluded with a note that milk is a good source of D. And, of course, there was not a peep about sunlight exposure being the very best source – worlds healthier than a glass of commercial milk. Some things never change.

Vitamin D popped up again in a recent study from Australia’s University of Auckland (UA). The down-under team used data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) to determine a relationship between proper pulmonary function and blood serum levels of vitamin D.

Data was collected from the records of more than 14,000 subjects. Each had undergone spirometry (a test that measures lung capacity), and vitamin D levels were measured from blood samples. Analysis revealed a significant relationship between D concentrations and the vital capacity of the lungs.

The UA lead researcher, Peter N. Black, M.B., Ch.B., told NutraIngredients-USA that the results demonstrate a strong influence of vitamin D on lung health “with greater levels of vitamin D associated with greater and more positive effects on lung function.”

Additional support

Would you like even more insurance to help your lungs age gracefully? If so, vitamin C may be an ideal complement to D.

In the e-Alert “C-ing Stars” (6/12/02), I told you about a University of Nottingham (UK) study that examined lung function and the intake of magnesium and vitamins C, E and A.

More than 2,500 subjects were surveyed to assess the relationship between diet, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Nine years later, about one half of the original group participated in a follow up survey. As in the first phase, each subject completed a food frequency questionnaire as well as a questionnaire regarding respiratory symptoms, smoking, and other variables. Each subject also had breathing levels tested in each phase.

After adjusting for smoking, the researchers produced two important conclusions:

• Subjects who consumed higher amounts of vitamin C had better lung function than those with lower levels of vitamin C intake
• Higher amounts of vitamin C and magnesium intake were associated with significantly improved lung function in the cases of those suffering from asthma or COPD.

The researchers didn’t make any specific recommendations about how much vitamin C was needed to achieve these results, but the study indicates that the average participant in the survey was not using mega-doses.

Sources:
“Relationship Between Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and Pulmonary Function in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey” Chest, Vol. 128, No. 6, December 2005, chestjournal.org
“More Vitamin D Linked to Better Lung Health” NutraIngredients-USA, 12/13/05, nutraingredients-usa.com
“Fat Oxidation and its Relation to Serum Parathyroid Hormone in Young Women Enrolled in a 1-y Dairy Calcium Intervention” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 86, No. 6, December 2005, ajcn.org