Vitamin D

and Colds

Vitamin D and Colds

The latest news about vitamin D suggests that it helps protect against colds and flu. A research team from the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Children's Hospital of Boston looked at levels of vitamin D taken from blood samples provided by nearly 19,000 individuals who took park in a national survey and compared them with participants' reports of upper respiratory infections.

Those whose vitamin D levels were lower than 10 nanograms per milliliter of blood were nearly 40 percent more likely to have had a recent cold or flu than those with vitamin D levels of 30 nanograms or higher.

Deficiencies of “D” were more common among people with a history of asthma or some form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A prospective study is needed to determine whether supplementing with vitamin D will protect against colds and flu.

You can raise your levels of “D” by taking a daily supplement of 1,000 IUs and from eating foods such as fortified milk and cereals, eggs, salmon, tuna, mackerel and sardines. Our bodies make vitamin D naturally with exposure to sunlight, but research suggests most people don’t get enough sun exposure during the winter.

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