Prevent colds and flu with vitamin D
Added 10.03.2009
If you want to protect yourself against colds and flu this year, a recent study says vitamin D is the way to go. But don't be fooled into thinking you are getting enough of this vital vitamin from your diet; if you live in the Northern hemisphere, there is a 60% likelihood you are vitamin D deficient. The only way to really ensure you are obtaining enough vitamin D is to get plenty of sunshine and if you live in Northern latitudes or don't get enough sun, the answer lies in supplementing with quality vitamin D.
Low vitamin D levels increase your risk of catching frequent colds and flu by 40%
In a study conducted in the U.S.A. earlier this year, people with lower levels of vitamin D were 40% more likely to catch colds and flu compared to people with sufficient vitamin D levels. The study additionally revealed that people with respiratory disorders such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema and asthma who also had low blood levels of vitamin D were at even higher risks of catching cold and flu viruses. In fact, asthma sufferers with low vitamin D levels were five times as likely to catch colds and flu as those with higher levels of vitamin D.Vitamin D may save your life
Researchers have discovered vitamin D is a key player in our overall health and is important for maintaining a strong immune system. In fact, in its biologically active form, vitamin D is a potent immune system modulator and protects us against bacterial, fungal and viral infection, such as colds, flu and even the much talked about influenza A (H1N1), or if you prefer, swine flu. According to a recent study, vitamin D is such an important nutrient that it has remained unchanged in our genome for several million years! Scientists suggest this is evidence vitamin D is crucial to our survival. And crucial it is because vitamin D has the ability to activate life-saving antimicrobial proteins that prevent viral and bacterial infections. At the same time, vitmain D suppresses an overreaction in the immune system, inhibits autoimmunity and even has an anti-inflammatory effect.What does this mean?
That adequate levels of vitamin D are absolutely vital to stay healthy. In other words, vitamin D protects us from practically every known disease. Vitamin D's control over antimicrobial proteins means it can ward off viruses and bacteria and prevent us from catching colds, flu and even the much feared swine flu. The vitamin's ability to suppress the overreaction of our immune system means it can protect us against conditions like allergies and asthma. Autoimmune diseases, such as type I diabetes, coeliac disease, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis may also be inhibited with adequate levels of vitamin D. Last but not least, vitamin D has anti-inflammatory effects and given that most diseases (cardiovascular disease, cancer etc.) feature inflammation. Imagine how many chronic diseases could be potentially prevented! And how can you do that? Well. it's as easy as increasing your intake of vitamin D to at least 2,000 IU a day!References:
Gombart, A.F. & all. "Exaptation of an ancient Alu short interspersed element provides a highly conserved vitamin D-mediated innate immune response in humans and primates." BMC Biomedics. July, 2009.
Dr. Bo Nielsen's comments:
During the past year hundreds of scientific studies have revealed just how important vitamin D is for our health. Increased risk of developing diseases like multiple sclerosis, many types of cancer, cardiovascular disease and now common colds and flu seem to be related to how our levels of vitamin D are. Most researchers in this field agree that the RDA of vitamin D should be increased from 400 IU to 2000 IU for adults and be doubled from 200 IU to 400 IU for children. In the Northern hemisphere only very few people have sufficient levels of vitamin D all year round. The simple solution to this problem is to take a daily high quality supplement with vitamin D3 in the correct dosage.
