Your vitamin D levels are a very important determinate of the function of your immune system. Multiple references have documented that vitamin D is critical to keeping your immune response strong and fighting off all the bacteria and virus’s that want to set up shop in your body.
The following references are my favorite:
Randomized trial of vitamin D supplementation to prevent seasonal influenza A in schoolchildren. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition May 2010, No. 5, pp. 1255-60
This study reports the effect of vitamin D supplementation to school children. The study states:
“In this randomized clinical trial, daily supplementation with 1200 IU vitamin D3 in school children between December and March showed a significant preventive effect against influenza.” Interestingly, it also reported a significant decrease in asthma attacks. Another key takeaway was that it took 3 months to significantly increase serum vitamin D3 levels. The study also reported that vitamin D levels decreased by 50% in the winter. Boston residents also suffer from this effect. We make no vitamin D from the sun between November 1st and April 1st.
Epidemic Influenza and Vitamin D: Epidemiology and Infection October 2007, Vol. 135, No. 7, pp. 1095-1098 John F. Aloia and Melissa Li-Ng.
Very similar study as the previous. This report documents giving 2000 IU of vitamin D. to 104 post menopausal women. Over the period of the study where the women received the 2000 IU, only one subject had a cold/flu while on 2000 IU of vitamin D.
1) “There is an epidemic of vitamin D insufficiency in the United States, the public health impact of this observation could be great.”
2) “The occurrence of the common cold and influenza shows clear seasonality.
The cold and influenza season corresponds to the season of vitamin D insufficiency.”
3) “The lack of vitamin D during the winter may be a ‘seasonal stimulus’ to the infectivity of the influenza virus.”
4) “Vitamin D is produced in the skin when sunlight is absorbed. Thus, vitamin D levels, or serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD), fluctuate seasonally.”
5) Vit D has important functions in the immune system, specifically the innate immune system.
6) Over a 3-year period, taking 800 IU of viamin D3 reduced the incidence of colds and flu’s by 70%. Taking 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 reduced the incidence of colds and flus to nearly zero (only 1 case out of 104 users).
7) “Vitamin D supplementation, particularly at higher doses, may protect against the ‘typical’ winter cold and influenza.”
8) “The physiological basis of the protective effect of vitamin D lies in its ability to stimulate innate immunity and to moderate inflammation.”
9) “These reports provide a rationale for vitamin D supplementation in the prevention of colds & flu’s.”
10) Only vitamin D3 is bioactive; vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol) “is not vitamin D but a less potent vitamin D analogue that plays no role in normal human physiology.”
11) “Physiological doses [800 – 2,000 IU / day] of vitamin D prevent many viral respiratory infections.”
12) “It is also reasonable to postulate that pharmacological doses of vit D may be effective adjuvants in a breathtakingly large number of life-threatening infections.”
If you are not currently taking vitamin D3 you are most likely deficient, so start today. I would start with 10,000 IU and make sure to take a good vitamin K supplement with your vitamin D3. Vitamin K enables the vitamin D3 to function properly.
We have finger prick testing units. The cost is $99 and the results come back in less than 2 weeks. Call us today at 617-720-1992 to make an appointment to get tested.