Abstract

Background: Vitamin D deficiency is increasingly recognized as a modifiable factor influencing respiratory physiology. Adults with dietary imbalance are particularly vulnerable to low serum 25(OH)D levels, which may contribute to subtle impairments in pulmonary function even in the absence of established lung disease. Limited evidence exists on whether correcting vitamin D deficiency alone can improve pulmonary performance in such individuals. Objective: To evaluate the impact of vitamin D supplementation on pulmonary function test (PFT) parameters in adults with dietary imbalance and low baseline vitamin D levels. Methods: A prospective observational pre–post study was conducted among adults aged 18–60 years with confirmed vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency and documented dietary imbalance. Fifty participants underwent baseline assessment including serum 25(OH)D levels and spirometry (FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC ratio, PEF). All participants received standardized cholecalciferol supplementation (60,000 IU weekly for 8 weeks). Serum vitamin D levels and PFTs were repeated after supplementation. Paired t-tests assessed pre–post differences, and Pearson correlation evaluated associations between changes in vitamin D and PFT parameters. Results: Mean serum 25(OH)D increased from 17.3 ± 4.2 ng/mL to 34.6 ± 5.1 ng/ mL post-supplementation (p < 0.001). Significant improvements were observed in FEV 1 (2.45 ± 0.48 L to 2.62 ± 0.50 L; p < 0.001), FVC (3.12 ± 0.52 L to 3.25 ± 0.54 L; p = 0.004), FEV1/FVC ratio (78.5 ± 5.6% to 80.4 ± 5.8%; p = 0.002), and PEF (5.82 ± 1.05 L/s to 6.12 ± 1.08 L/s; p = 0.001). Approximately 80% of participants showed improvement in at least one PFT parameter. Changes in 25(OH)D were positively correlated with improvements in FEV1 (r = 0.36, p = 0.010) and PEF (r = 0.31, p = 0.028). Conclusion: Vitamin D supplementation significantly improved pulmonary function in adults with dietary imbalance and low baseline vitamin D levels. The findings support the role of vitamin D repletion as a simple, low-cost intervention to enhance respiratory performance in nutritionally vulnerable adults. Larger controlled trials are needed to confirm these results and elucidate underlying mechanisms.

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