Vitamin D and Lung Function
Vitamin D and Respiratory Regulation. Vitamin D plays a regulatory role in lung health by supporting immune balance, epithelial integrity, and signalling pathways involved in respiratory defence. Rather than acting directly on breathing mechanics, vitamin D helps maintain the biological environment in which normal lung function and immune responses occur.
Vitamin D receptors are present in respiratory epithelial cells and immune cells within the lungs. Through these receptors, vitamin D influences how lung tissue responds to pathogens, environmental irritants, and inflammatory signals. Adequate vitamin D availability supports balanced immune activation, controlled inflammatory responses, and maintenance of respiratory barrier function.
Because the lungs operate at the interface between the external environment and the immune system, vitamin D contributes indirectly by shaping signalling pathways that regulate antimicrobial defence and tissue resilience. Rather than producing immediate respiratory effects, vitamin D supports long-term respiratory stability by maintaining coordinated immune and epithelial regulation.
Understanding the relationship between vitamin D and lung health helps explain why deficiency is associated with increased susceptibility to respiratory infections, impaired immune responses, and altered inflammatory patterns rather than isolated lung symptoms. Vitamin D influences how the respiratory system adapts and maintains function over time.
This page focuses on lung regulation as one outcome of vitamin D physiology. Later sections explore how respiratory health interacts with immunity, inflammation, cardiovascular function, and overall systemic resilience.