Higher vitamin A and D levels linked to better lung health and slower biological aging

According to new observational research, higher levels of circulating vitamin A are associated with better lung function in children and adults with asthma, while vitamin D reflects similar benefits in adults, including slower biological aging. The “first study of its kind” highlights that lung function is a key predictor of death, irrespective of whether or not a person has lung disease. 

The paper builds on previously published research showing that vitamins A and D protect against asthma, while influencing lung development, depending on the dose and context.

These nutrients are essential for ensuring that the lungs keep functioning properly and for preventing long-term respiratory conditions, explain the researchers.

“To our knowledge, this is the first study to integrate vitamin A and D levels with lung function and epigenetic markers — miRNA expression and DNA methylation — in children and adults with asthma,” they highlight.

“Lung function was inversely correlated with all age acceleration measures, reinforcing the link between respiratory health and aging.”

In people with asthma, they add that vitamin D deficiency is more common and is associated with more severe disease, worse asthma control, higher inhaled steroid need, and more frequent sudden worsening of asthma symptoms.

Assessing lung capacity

The study findings are published in the respiratory journal Thorax. The researchers drew on two groups of participants with asthma: 1,165 children in the “Genetic Epidemiology of Asthma in Costa Rica Study”; and 1,041 adults in the “Omic Determinants of Longitudinal Lung Function in Asthma.”

Across all participants, researchers measured small molecules that “fine-tune” the activity of genes (serum microRNAs or miRNAs for short) and those that mark genes as either active or inactive (DNA methylation), plus levels of vitamins A and D.

The findings reveal that children and adults with asthma and higher vitamin A levels had better lung function than those with lower levels.Assessments for lung capacity and health were completed through measures of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and the FEV:FVC ratio.

The findings reveal that children and adults with asthma and higher vitamin A levels had better lung function (FEV1 and FVC) than those with lower levels.

For adults specifically, the researchers studied whether participants’ methylation status and miRNAs — molecules that control gene expression — influenced the association between the vitamins and lung function or epigenetic aging. These specific markers reflect how genes respond to environmental and biological factors to accelerate cellular aging.

Ultimately, adults with asthma who had higher vitamin D levels of at least 30 ng/ml had better lung function than those with lower levels. They also had less evidence of epigenetic aging, suggesting that vitamin D may help slow biological aging, particularly in people with asthma, according to the researchers.

Personalized nutrition

The study authors say these findings emphasize the importance of adequate vitamin D levels for lung health and slowing age-related processes.

“Our findings emphasize that epigenetic mechanisms play a key role in mediating the effects of vitamins on lung function in individuals with asthma, pointing to potential targets for personalized nutrition and therapeutic strategies in asthma care,” say the study authors.

The researchers identified MiRNAs that regulate 248 genes commonly associated with vitamins A and D in both age groups, which, further analysis suggests, are involved in controlling inflammation and lung function.

This secondary analysis also revealed that changes in the expression of specific miRNAs strongly influence the effects of vitamins A and D on lung function and epigenetic aging.

In a linked editorial, Sze Man Tse and Genevieve Mailhot from Canada’s CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center, Montreal, and the University of Montreal advise caution when interpreting the findings. 

“While these findings open a novel line of investigation linking vitamin D, biological aging, and lung health, there is a need for further studies to clarify causality,” they note.

“Overall, advancing our understanding of how nutritional exposures impact gene regulation may open new avenues for managing asthma across the lifespan.”

Previously, a literature review found that in inflammatory rheumatic diseases, vitamin D deficiency is common and significant. However, researchers say there is no strong evidence that the deficit has direct disease-modifying effects.