這一維生素能將威脅生命的哮喘發作機率降低一半

Taking Vitamin D pills slashes the number of casualty visits or hospital admissions for severe asthma attacks in half, a new study found. The sunshine nutrient made by the skin in sunlight also reduced by nearly a third the number of asthmatics needing steroids after suffering breathing difficulties.

一項新研究發現，吃維生素D能將嚴重哮喘發作引起的去醫院次數或住院次數降低一半。陽光下皮膚產生的"陽光維生素"（維生素D）也將呼吸困難需要類固醇的哮喘患者數量降低了近三分之一。

It adds further evidence the nutrient also found in oily fish such as salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel and fresh tuna, red meat, liver, egg yolks and fortified foods such as most fat spreads and some breakfast cereals boosted the body's defences.

研究進一步證明，富含脂肪的魚（比如三文魚、沙丁魚、鯡魚、鯖魚）以及新鮮的金槍魚、紅肉、肝臟、蛋黃和強化食物（比如大多數脂肪塗抹物和一些早餐穀物）也含有維生素D，能提高身體的抵禦力。

The incurable long-term condition affects around 5.4 million Britons - one in every 12 adults and one in every 11 children. It kills three people every day, but two in three asthma deaths are preventable. The attacks are commonly triggered by viral upper respiratory infections.

這一無法治癒的長期症狀影響着大約540萬英國人--每12個成年人和每11個兒童中就有一人患有哮喘。哮喘每天奪走3人的生命，但三分之二的哮喘死亡病例是可以預防的。哮喘病發作主要是由病毒性上呼吸道感染引起的。

Scientists believe the vitamin protects against such attacks by boosting immune responses to respiratory viruses and dampening down harmful airway inflammation. The study by Queen Mary University of London analysed the individual data from 955 participants in seven randomised controlled trials, which tested the use of vitamin D supplements.

科學家認爲，通過促進對呼吸道病毒的免疫應答和減弱有害的氣道炎症，維生素D能預防哮喘病發作。倫敦瑪麗王后大學開展的這項研究在7組隨機對照實驗中分析了955名受試者的數據，這些對照實驗測試了維生素D補充劑的使用情況。

Vitamin D supplementation resulted in a 30 per cent reduction in the rate of asthma attacks requiring treatment with steroid tablets or injections - from 0.43 events per person per year to 0.30. It also reduced by 50 per cent the risk of experiencing at least one asthma attack requiring a visit to casualty or being admitted from six per cent of people experiencing such an event to three per cent.

維生素D補充劑導致需要用類固醇片或注射的哮喘病發作比例降低了30%--從每年每人0.43次降到0.3次。同時因哮喘病發作受傷或住院的比例降低了50%，從6%降到3%。

Vitamin D supplementation was also found to be safe at the doses administered and no instances of excessively high calcium levels or renal stones were seen. Serious adverse events were evenly distributed between participants taking vitamin D and those on placebo.

研究員發現，維生素D補充劑在給藥劑量下是安全的，沒有觀察到過高的鈣水平或腎結石情況。嚴重的不良事件在服用維生素D的受試者和服用安慰劑的受試者之間均勻分佈。

Lead researcher Professor Adrian Martineau said: "These results add to the ever growing body of evidence that vitamin D can support immune function as well as bone health." On average, three people in the UK die from asthma attacks every day.

首席研究員艾德里安·馬蒂諾說："這些結果進一步證明，維生素D能支持免疫功能和骨骼健康。"平均來說，英國每天有3人死於哮喘病發作。

"Vitamin D is safe to take and relatively inexpensive so supplementation represents a potentially cost-effective strategy to reduce this problem."

"維生素D使用安全，也相對便宜，所以補充劑是減少這一問題的潛在合算的策略。"