Category Archives: Vitamins

Allergy, Vitamins

T_S_L_P

SPQR (is not necessary to be remembered) but certainly TSLP – at least if you are interested in allergy research (see the discussion here 2 years ago) when we knew from a PNAS paper that topical vitamin D3 induces thymic stromal lymphopoietin and triggers atopic dermatitis (in mice). Now there is an update – TSLP even mediates the progression to experimental asthma

vitamin D3 … not only triggers AD as we previously reported but also aggravates experimental allergic asthma induced by ovalbumin sensitization and challenge. Our study, which provides a mouse model to study human “atopic march

will be continued after Continue reading T_S_L_P →

 

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Allergy, Philosophy, Vitamins

Shift happens

The current issue of the blue journal has more stuff on the vitamin D hypothesis (that has been shifted recently into the opposite direction). I agree with the editorial that

Intervention studies of vitamin D in the primary prevention and treatment of asthma raise a number of difficult scientific, ethical, and regulatory issues.

That may be true while the editorial includes the widely quoted myth that immunological effects occur only at high doses Continue reading Shift happens →

 

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Allergy, Vitamins

Three unwise monkeys

Thanks to the great audience in Washington DC watching our pro-con show about vitamin D and allergy. Are you still wondering about all the monkeys on my opponent’s slides? Me too…
With having fever from a flu on the way back to Europe, a picture came to my mind showing the 3 apes that are unable to see, hear and speak …
Mail me if there remain any doubts about the Th1 blocking effect of D3 or go to one of the recent reviews – I have take this for granted as it is even in standard textbooks like Roitt’s Immunology. Continue reading Three unwise monkeys →

 

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Allergy, Vitamins

Vitamin D as workplace sensitizer

A recent ERJ correspondence letter highlights vitamin D (among other others) as sensitizer at the workplace.

Skin sensitisers are typically more hydrophobic than respiratory sensitisers. Both water-soluble and fat-soluble vitamins are used as additives in the food industry. Exposure at work to both of the above classes of vitamin compounds may occur, resulting in respiratory and skin sensitisation of workers during the manufacturing process.

 

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Allergy, Vitamins

Vitamin D: A 18%! reduction in early infant mortality

A study published earlier this year in the Lancet found a 18% reduction in mortality when women obtained supplements during pregnancy until 90 days post partum including additional 800 ug retinol, 200 IU vitamin D, 10 mg vitamin E, 70 mg ascorbic acid, 1.4 mg vitamin B1, 18 mg niacin, 1.9 mg vitamin B6, 2.6 ug vitamin B12, 15 mg zinc, 2 mg copper, 65 ug selenium and 150 ug iodine. Much of the effect will be due to the vitamin D supplementation Continue reading Vitamin D: A 18%! reduction in early infant mortality →

 

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Allergy, Genetics, Vitamins

CD 14 now also on the vitamin+allergy list

Just for curiosity I am collecting a list of allergy genes that are vitamin D dependent. The list is already rather long but now there is a prominent addition: CD14. Known as asthma gene for many years the vitamin D dependency isn’t such clear. A clever analysis, however, now shows that there is an intermediate step involved Continue reading CD 14 now also on the vitamin+allergy list →

 

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Allergy, Vitamins

Vitamin D as an adjuvans to specific immunotherapy

Despite the known allergy promoting effect of vitamin D in early childhood, there is mounting evidence that it may have beneficial effects during specific immunotherapy. A paper on “IL-10-inducing adjuvants enhance sublingual immunotherapy efficacy in a murine asthma model” by researchers from a French allergen company Continue reading Vitamin D as an adjuvans to specific immunotherapy →

 

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Allergy, Vitamins

More retro vitamin D

During my recent trip to London, I could get a brief glimpse into the 1932 book “Vitamin D” by Reed, Struck and Steck. As this volume is not available in a German library and as it was not allowed by the British library to travel, I took now the lengthy procedures of registering, waiting in the queue, before searching this book for any allergy related items.
It seemed to be worthwile, although with some unexpected results: Continue reading More retro vitamin D →

 

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Allergy, Vitamins

A factor in hay prevents vitamin D action

As always, a longer literature search prevents from new discoveries… Here comes a nice piece from 1952 on the antagonistic effect of LPS on vitamin D (Is that really LPS or did I interpret it wrong?). Although not included in my recent review on vitamin D and allergy – I attributed the effect to Lyakh et al. – here is the first description of this effect. Continue reading A factor in hay prevents vitamin D action →

 

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Allergy, Vitamins

Allergy starts only after birth

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Although there are numerous reports and even whole schools of thought building on a prenatal origin of allergy, a new study now clearly states that sensitization does not develop in utero. IgE traditionally measured in cord blood IgE is a contamination of maternal IgE. The authors show that there is a correlation with IgA and the “spurious specific IgE” at birth “vanishes” during the following 6 months. If you ever had a cord in hand, you will understand how easily contamination occurs.

Addendum 12/10/2008

The “prenatal origin” party doesn’t give up basically with the arguments:

  • no Ig A found that would be indicative of contamination BUT unfortunately their Ig A threshold of 32 ug/mL is not really appropriate
  • more than half of their cord blood samples have IgE negative mothers BUT unfortunately they don’t show the unclassified IgE values (is that’s just an artifact of a normal test variation?)
  • some of their cord blood samples have higher IgE levels than the mothers BUT again the same argument of an arbitrary classification applies
  • most single IgE results are not concordant between mother but they admit concordant results at least for food allergens. This may indeed been taken as an argument against simple cord blood contamination of ALL samples. As the accompanying editorial points out an in vivo translocation of immune complexes of IgG:allergen+IgE of a food allergens (that are nearly always present in contrast to some seasonal allergens) may be possible
  • the discussion ignores more or less the fact that there is definitely NO concordance with the father (as shown in table I) so leakage or contamination is likely

The authors explain the maternal/fetal association “by maternal inheritance of atopic IgE responsiveness on chromosome 11q and other gene loci” BUT unfortunately there is neither atopic IgE responsiveness on chromosome 11q nor is there any evidence of imprinting. So – according to our best evidence allergy starts only after birth. To convince me it would not need 922 neonates but 1 B cell of proven fetal origin that makes IgE – making the whole story at least a good example how insufficient methods produce doubtful conclusions, yea, yea.

 

CC-BY-NC Science Surf accessed 11.01.2026