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Vitamin D protects the lungs from the effects of smoking
Last reviewed: 01.07.2025
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Vitamin D deficiency is associated with poor lung function and rapid long-term decline in lung function in smokers. Scientists believe this is because vitamin D has a protective effect against the effects of smoking on lung function.
"We examined the associations between vitamin D deficiency, smoking, lung function, and the rate of decline over 20 years among 626 white adults participating in the Normative Aging Study. We found that adequate vitamin D (defined as less than 20 ng/mL) was protective and beneficial for the lungs of smokers," said study leader Nancy Lange, a postdoctoral fellow in the Channing Laboratory at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
In the study, volunteers' vitamin D levels were measured three times between 1984 and 2003, and lung function was measured using spirometry (a functional test of the lungs that involves measuring the volume of external respiration using a spirometer). In subjects with vitamin D deficiency, the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) was 12 ml lower compared to those who did not have a vitamin deficiency (FEV1 was 6.5 ml lower).
"Our findings suggest that vitamin D may reduce the harmful effects of smoking on lung function. This effect may be due to the vitamin's anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties," Lange said. If the findings are confirmed in future studies, she said, they could have important public health implications. Her next plan is to investigate whether vitamin D has a beneficial effect on the lungs of air pollution victims.
"Despite the exciting results of this study, the health risks of smoking outweigh the benefits of vitamin D on lung function. Smokers should be educated about the health consequences of smoking and helped to quit," said Alexander White, chairman of the American Thoracic Society.
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