Does BMI Modify the Association between Vitamin D and Pulmonary Function in Children of the Mild Asthma Phenotype?

Maria Michelle Papamichael, Catherine Itsiopoulos, Charis Katsardis, Dimitris Tsoukalas and Bircan Erbas ()
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Maria Michelle Papamichael: Human Services & Sport, School of Allied Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne 3086, Australia
Catherine Itsiopoulos: Human Services & Sport, School of Allied Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne 3086, Australia
Charis Katsardis: Medical School, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, 157 72 Athens, Greece
Dimitris Tsoukalas: European Institute of Molecular Medicine, 00198 Rome, Italy
Bircan Erbas: School of Psychology & Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne 3086, Australia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 24, 1-12

Abstract: Vitamin D deficiency and obesity are global health problems that are associated with increased asthma risk in children. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether BMI modifies pulmonary function across vitamin D tertiles in pediatric asthma patients of the mild asthma phenotype. This cross-sectional study conducted from November 2016–September 2017 compared lung function variability as assessed by spirometry and nitric oxide in exhaled breath (FeNO) among 35 normal-weight and 26 overweight/obese Greek schoolchildren (5–12 years old) with mild asthma. Serum 25 (OH)D levels ≥ 30 ng/mL were defined as ‘sufficient’, 20–30 ng/mL ‘insufficient’, and <20 ng/mL ‘deficient’. Stratification by BMI category, linear regression showed positive associations between D, % FVC (β = 0.49, 95%CI: 0.05, 0.94), and % FEV 1 (β = 0.48, 95%CI: −0.01, 0.95) in the normal-weight only, adjusted for age, sex, regular exercise, and medication. FEV 1 was 10% higher in the normal-weight D-sufficient group compared to those D-deficient (β = 10.43, 95%CI: 0.54, 20.32). No associations were observed for the overweight/obese group or FeNO. In conclusion, BMI modified associations of vitamin D on airway mechanics in children of the mild asthma phenotype. Serum 25 (OH)D concentrations ≥ 30 ng/mL were associated with higher ventilation in central airways of normal-weight asthmatic children.

Keywords: asthma; BMI; children; lung function; mild asthma; vitamin D; overweight (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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