More data are needed about vitamin D supplements in pregnancy and infancy including any impact on allergies.

Abstract

The rising prevalence in allergies over the last few decades appears to be a global epidemic. Although we still lack a concise, robust model to adequately interpret this phenomenon, the available evidence points to the role of an increasingly urban and westernised lifestyle. This includes vitamin D deficiency, which is due to staying indoors most of the time without adequate exposure to sunlight and has been identified as one of the contributing risk factors in rising allergy rates. Indeed, a growing body of evidence has suggested that vitamin D deficiency is implicated in the pathogenesis of allergic disorders, although its role is not clear and is open to debate. Vitamin D prophylaxis has already produced excellent results in other areas, for example in reducing the prevalence of rickets.