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; Bircan Erbas

doi:10.3390/ijerph192416768

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

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Dec 14;19(24):16768. doi: 10.3390/ijerph192416768.

Authors

Maria Michelle Papamichael^{1

2}, Catherine Itsiopoulos^{1

3}, Charis Katsardis⁴, Dimitris Tsoukalas², Bircan Erbas⁵

Affiliations

¹ Human Services & Sport, School of Allied Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne 3086, Australia.
² European Institute of Molecular Medicine, 00198 Rome, Italy.
³ School of Health & Biomedical Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne 3083, Australia.
⁴ Medical School, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, 157 72 Athens, Greece.
⁵ School of Psychology & Public Health, La Trobe University, Melbourne 3086, Australia.

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 % FEV₁ (β = 0.48, 95%CI: -0.01, 0.95) in the normal-weight only, adjusted for age, sex, regular exercise, and medication. FEV₁ 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: BMI; asthma; children; lung function; mild asthma; overweight; vitamin D.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Asthma* / drug therapy
Body Mass Index
Cross-Sectional Studies
Humans
Lung
Nitric Oxide
Obesity / complications
Overweight / complications
Phenotype
Vitamin D*

Substances

Vitamin D
Nitric Oxide

Grants and funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. The first author was supported by an Australian Post Graduate Award PhD Scholarship (2016–2020) administered by La Trobe University.