Vitamin D Prevents Colds and Flu, and Helps in Recovery

Respiratory infections caused by viruses, such as colds and flu, may be helped through an increased blood level of Vitamin D.

During the winter months, blood levels of vitamin D are decreased. This is thought to be due to the decreased exposure to sunlight, which causes vitamin D production in humans. Medical doctors associated with Yale university school of medicine theorized that winter viral infections could at least in part be associated with this decrease of Vitamin D levels.

Researchers evaluated 198 healthy individuals. They found that those with lower blood levels of vitamin D were nearly 3 times more likely to catch a cold or the flu than those with higher blood levels of Vitamin D. Also, for those that did suffer from a viral infection, those with high Vitamin D levels recovered more quickly.

Vitamin D has, for a long time, been associated with a healthy immune system. During the cold and flu seasons, a simple but yet potentially powerful option is to take increase dietary Vitamin D consumption in order to decrease the risks of contracting an infection, and to decrease the duration of the cold or flu.  Most scientists believe that 1000 IU/day is sufficient.

Keith Biggs, DC