Q. Can vitamin D and turmeric in combination have an impact on allergy and asthma? I suffer from both allergies and asthma, and I am usually miserable in the spring.
I started taking 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily several months ago. I am also taking turmeric capsules.
This spring I have had no allergies, no sinus infections and no asthma problems at all. Perhaps these supplements are keeping my immune system from overreacting to pollen.
A. Your experience is fascinating. In animal studies, turmeric prevents the release of histamine from mast cells (Molecular Nutrition and Food Research, Sept. 2008). If it works similarly in humans, this would prevent allergy symptoms from developing.
Vitamin D has anti-inflammatory effects on smooth muscle cells in the airways (British Journal of Pharmacology, Sept. 2008). This might help counteract asthma.
