If you’re suffering from asthma, the prevailing advice is to avoid possible triggers like mold and pollen. But some experts say that going outside may actually help you address your asthma. As it turns out, the vitamin D you get from the sun can help reduce your risk of a severe asthma attack.

This is according to researchers from the Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research at Queen Mary University of London. Their research suggests that taking more vitamin D, either from the sun or from food and supplements, may be able to help you if you suffer from asthma.

Vitamin D supplementation helps reduce asthma risk

The team, led by Queen Mary University‘s Adrian Martineau, noticed that several previous studies had associated low vitamin D levels with a greater risk of asthma attacks. As such, the team decided to investigate whether vitamin D supplementation might benefit asthma patients.

Specifically, Martineau and his colleagues analyzed the data from nine studies – which lasted anywhere between six to 12 months – on how supplementing with vitamin D influenced asthma symptoms and attacks.

The team found that the risk of having to be admitted to the hospital or emergency room due to a severe asthma attack was reduced from six percent, down to three percent with vitamin D supplementation. In addition, the team also found no severe side effects.

Beyond that, the researchers also found that vitamin D supplementation reduced the need for steroid treatment for asthma attacks. While these can help alleviate severe asthma attacks, systemic steroids, such as prednisone, can bring a number of negative side effects. These include weakness, acne,  mood or behavior changes, bone loss and eye problems, among others.

Try these vitamin D-rich foods and supplements

Sunshine is the body’s main source of vitamin D, but you can also get it from food and supplements. If you’re looking to increase your intake of vitamin D, here are some foods and supplements that are rich in the “sunshine vitamin.”

Salmon

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) says that one 3.5-ounce (100 grams) serving of salmon contains 528 international units (IU) of vitamin D, which amounts to 66 percent of its recommended daily value (DV).

Wild salmon contains even more of the nutrient. On average, wild-caught salmon can pack 988 IU of vitamin D for every 3.5-ounce serving. This amounts to a whopping 124 percent of the DV.

Herring and sardines

These may be smaller than salmon, but they’re still packed with vitamin D. Indeed, herring may actually be one of the best sources of the nutrient. Fresh Atlantic herring can provide up to 216 IU per 3.5-ounce serving, 27 percent of the DV.

If you don’t like fresh herring, you can also eat it pickled. Pickled herring can provide up to 112 IU of vitamin D for every 3.5-ounce serving, 14 percent of the DV. But take note that picked herring also contains a high amount of sodium, which can be unhealthy.

Sardines are also good sources of vitamin D. One can of sardines – about 3.8 ounces – contains about 177 IU of vitamin D, or 22 percent of the DV

Canned tuna

People prefer canned tuna because it’s easy to store and cheaper to buy than fresh fish. But did you know that canned tuna also contains a fair amount of vitamin D?

One 3.5-gram serving of canned tuna contains up to 268 IU of vitamin D, 34 percent of the DV. As a bonus, it’s also a good source of niacin and vitamin K.

The only downside to canned tuna that it can contain a toxin called methylmercury. Eating too much can cause this toxin to build up in your body. The rule of thumb is that light tuna tends to contain less of this toxin than white tuna – it’s considered safe to eat up to 6 ounces of light tuna per week.

Cod liver oil

If eating fish isn’t your preference, you can try cod liver oil instead.

Cod liver oil is an excellent source of vitamin D. Just one teaspoon (4.9 ml) of the stuff contains about 448 IU of vitamin D, which is a massive 56 percent of the DV. This is part of the reason cod liver oil has been used for many years to prevent and treat vitamin D deficiency in children.

In addition, cod liver oil is also rich in vitamin A and omega-3 fatty acids.

Eggs

Seafood isn’t the only good source of vitamin D. Whole eggs are another great source of it and other nutrients.

Most of the nutrients, vitamins and minerals in eggs are found in the yolk. One typical egg yolk contains around 37 IU of vitamin D.

That said, the levels of vitamin D in the chicken can change depending on the amount of sun they’re exposed to. Pasture-raised chickens that are allowed to roam outside in the sun tend to produce eggs with three to four times higher amounts of vitamin D.

Wild mushrooms

If you’re avoiding both fish and animal products, then you’ll need to turn to wild mushrooms to get vitamin D. These are considered the only good source of the nutrient outside of animal products.

Just like people, mushrooms produce vitamin D when exposed to sunlight. But most commercially-grown mushrooms are grown in the dark. This means they tend to have less vitamin D.

Also, take note that mushrooms produce vitamin D2 whereas animals produce vitamin D3. Though the former helps raise blood levels of vitamin D, it may not be as effective as the latter. That said, wild mushrooms are still excellent sources of vitamin D2. Indeed, some varieties can pack up to 2,300 IU per 3.5-ounce serving. This is nearly three times the recommended DV.

Spending time under the sun is a good way to get your daily dose of vitamin D. But if you’re unable to do so because of asthma, don’t fret. Taking in food and supplements rich in vitamin D can also provide you with the asthma-fighting benefits of this nutrient and more.

Sources:

MedicalNewsToday.com

Healthline.com

FDC.NAL.USDA.gov

PubMed.NCBI.NLM.NIH.gov