vitamin d and flu

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Too Little Vitamin D May Mean More Colds and Flu
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Whether adding supplements would help still needs testing, experts say
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Posted: February 23, 2009

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By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Feb. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Forget the apple. The largest
study of its kind to date shows that vitamin D each and every day is
what will keep the doctor away when it comes to the common cold or the
flu.

The finding is based on an assessment of vitamin D levels, nutritional
habits and respiratory infection rates among nearly 19,000 American
men and women.

"We don't want to jump ahead of ourselves," said study author Dr. Adit
Ginde, an assistant professor of surgery in the division of emergency
medicine at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine. "But
our study provides support that lower levels of vitamin D are
associated with an increased risk for respiratory infections, such as
the common cold and the flu. And people who have pre-existing
respiratory disease -- like asthma an emphysema -- appear to be at an
increased risk for this association."

Ginde's team, from Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital
Boston, reports its findings in the Feb. 23 issue of the Archives of
Internal Medicine.

Vitamin D can be found in such foods as canned tuna, cereal and
fortified milk or juice, according to the American Dietetic
Association (ADA). The body can also be triggered to naturally produce
vitamin D after adequate exposure to sunlight.

In addition to its well-established role as a calcium builder and bone
fortifier, vitamin D has recently been touted as having a protective
role against both colon cancer and multiple sclerosis, the ADA noted.

And in December, a review of studies conducted by researchers at the
Mid-America Heart Institute in Kansas City suggested that those with
vitamin D deficiency -- a designation estimated to include about half
of American adults and nearly one in three children -- might face an
increased risk for heart attack and stroke.

To gauge the specific relationship between vitamin D and respiratory
risk, Ginde's team analyzed data from the Third National Health and
Nutrition Examination Survey, collected from 1988 to 1994.

Participants were aged 12 and up -- with an average age of 38 -- and
three-quarters were white. All completed nutritional and health
surveys and had physical examinations. Blood samples were taken to
measure levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, considered to be the optimal
measure of vitamin D status.

The researchers found that those with less than 10 nanograms of
vitamin D per milliliter of blood, considered low, were nearly 40
percent more likely to have had a respiratory infection than those
with vitamin D levels of 30 ng or higher. The finding was consistent
across all races and ages.

In particular, people who had a history of asthma or some form of
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were even more likely to
suffer from vitamin D deficiencies.

Asthma patients with the lowest vitamin D levels had five times the
risk for respiratory infection, and vitamin D-deficient COPD patients
had twice the risk.

"We still need to do the clinical trials that we already have planned
to definitely say whether supplementation with vitamin D would
actually reduce the risk we found," Ginde cautioned. "But I think we
can say that most Americans probably do need more vitamin D for its
effects on bone health, as well as for its general benefits with
respect to the immune system."

Lona Sandon, an assistant professor of clinical nutrition at the
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and a spokeswoman for
the American Dietetic Association, said that evidence of a vitamin
D-immune system connection seems "pretty strong."

"There does seem to be a link because, when we're not getting enough
vitamin D, our immune system appears not to function at its best," she
said.

Sandon noted, however, that getting enough vitamin D from food alone
can be difficult.

"The best sources are salmon with the bones, or three cups a day of
milk," she said. "But not many people get that. So I would say, get
outside and expose some skin to the sun. Dermatologists don't always
like that advice because they're concerned with skin cancer, but just
15 minutes a day at the sun's peak -- roughly 11 to 1 -- does the
trick."

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Effect on a cold

I learned about taking more D3, but wasn't doing it, just before
the onset of sniffling and the occasional sneeze. I started taking
about 14,000 units whenever I felt symptoms, which was 2-3 times a
day. Symptoms would disappear in moments and remain undetectable
for hours. I seem to be getting over it with absolutely minimal
effect on my energy and ability to function. I have felt tired a
couple of times and slept more, but that's about it. This is the
best thing I've found.

Daimon of WA @ Oct 01, 2009 12:30:45 PM

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Xcwhevwf of FL @ Jul 15, 2009 00:32:30 AM

Appropriate Vitamin D3 intake.

http://tinyurl.com/auy649 this link leads to a University of
California series of Videos by Garland, Heaney, Trump and Gorham.
with others by Holick and others planned for release soon.

These videos are sponsored by Grassrootshealth.org who have put
online a chart from Garland showing "Disease Incidence Prevention
by Serum 25(OH)D Level" that indicates a 25(OH)d status around
150nmol/l 60ng/mL may be associated with least chronic disease.

Heaney's video on Vit d Deficiency indicates 1000iu/daily/D3 can
be expected to raise status 10ng/mL or 25nmol/l. So for most UK
(lat 51N+)adults with a current status around 35nmol/l a minimum
of 5000iu/d extra is probably needed to reach 60ng 150nmol/l

Grassrootshealth.org are also running a 25(OH)D testing trial by
post that provides participants with a regular test for $30 every
6 mths. This trial is aimed at tracking hospital admissions in
relation to 25(OH)D status , but for participants it will enable
them to ensure over the 5 yr trial period that optimum 25(OH)D
status it maintained.

Ted Hutchinson @ Feb 24, 2009 16:40:53 PM

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