JAKARTA - Vitamin D is not only looked at in the form of tablets. Researchers are now assessing the direct delivery of vitamin D to the lungs through inhalation as a potential way to help patients with chronic lung disease.
The Independent, quoted Sunday, June 28, reported that the COPD Foundation said inhaled vitamin D has the potential to improve lung function and reduce relapses in people with chronic lung disease.
According to the American Lung Association, more than 35 million Americans suffer from lung diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD, cystic fibrosis, and asthma.
Low levels of vitamin D can increase the risk of infection, worsen lung function, and trigger relapses. However, recent research shows that raising vitamin D levels through regular supplements is not necessarily enough to help lung health.
The problem is with the entry path. When drunk, vitamin D is processed first in the liver before spreading through the bloodstream. On the way to the lungs, the vitamin is suspected of becoming inactive before reaching the tissue of the respiratory tract.
"Oral vitamin D is potentially inactivated by enzymes in the pulmonary vasculature so that it does not reach the airways," said Kevin Schichlein of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
According to Schichlein, direct delivery to the lungs could be a more effective option.
Animal studies have found inhaled vitamin D can help protect the lungs from dust, pollution, and pathogens. However, Schichlein and his colleagues assess this method still needs to be tested in humans to ensure its effectiveness and safe dose.
Ilona Jaspers, professor of pediatrics at the UNC School of Medicine, said topical or inhaled vitamin D administration has been studied for upper respiratory tract diseases. Preliminary preclinical and clinical trial data show promising results.
Giving vitamin D directly to the lungs is also considered to have the potential to reduce inflammation. This is important because many severe lung diseases are related to inflammation that damages lung tissue and inhibits airflow.
However, these findings do not mean that inhaled vitamin D can be used alone as a therapy. Researchers still need to prove its effectiveness and safe dose through clinical trials in humans.
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