More uses for vitaminD
If you’re fending off a winter cold or battling a bout with the flu, you may be taking extra vitamin C to hasten your recovery. While boosting your intake of vitamin C may be beneficial, the results of a new study show that taking extra vitaminDmay be even better.
Vitamin D, known as the sunshine vitamin, is produced in the skin in the presence of ultraviolet light from the sun. During the darker days of winter, vitaminDlevels in the body typically dwindle, leaving many Americans with a seasonal deficiency.
Mounting scientific evidence suggests that low blood levels of the vitamin are at least partially responsible for the higher prevalence of respiratory tract infections during the coldest months of the year, when sunshine is in short supply.
The results of a study published in the Feb. 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine offer strong support for vitamin D’s role in reducing the risk of colds and the flu. After examining the relationship between vitaminDand respiratory illness in nearly 19,000 adolescents and adults, researchers found that those with the lowest blood levels of the vitamin were about 40 percent more likely to have suffered a recent respiratory infection than those with the highest levels.
The association was even stronger among individuals with pre-existing lung ailments. Among study volunteers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including emphysema, researchers found that those with low blood levels of vitaminDwere twice as likely to have experienced recent respiratory infections. Asthma patients with the lowest vitaminDlevels were five times more likely to have suffered a recent infection than those with the highest levels.
Although its exact mechanism of action isn’t completely understood, scientists theorize that vitamin Dmay help ward off infection by bolstering the protective powers of the immune system. In laboratory experiments, the vitamin has been shown to dramatically enhance the germ-killing potential of white blood cells.
This action is most apparent in the lining of the respiratory tract, which plays a critical role in protecting the throat, lungs and sinuses from invasion by disease-causing viruses and bacteria.
While vitaminDhelps the body fend off colds and the flu, it also appears to arm the immune system against more serious illnesses, including cancer. In a four-year study of more than 1,000 healthy menopausal women, researchers at Creighton University found that those who took daily doses of calcium plus 1,100 international units of vitaminDexperienced a 60 percent reduction in breast cancer compared with women taking placebo pills.
Adequate intakes of vitaminD have long been associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer, and findings from several small clinical trials suggest that vitaminDalso may thwart the progression of prostate cancer.
VitaminDdeficiency was once believed to be relatively rare among Americans, but recent epidemiological studies suggest that the condition is becoming a widespread problem in the United States, prompting many health professionals to push for an increase in the recommended daily allowance. Although some physicians now suggest daily doses of at least 1,000 international units to 2,000 international units for most adults, the current recommended daily allowance is substantially lower.
In young, healthy individuals, about 10 to 15 minutes of daily sun exposure is usually sufficient to keep levels of the vitamin within the normal range. With age, however, the skin manufactures vitaminDless efficiently, leaving many older people at risk for a deficiency.
Getting adequate amounts of VitaminDmay help prevent colds and the flu during the darker days of winter. Even better, it could reduce the risk of developing other, more serious illnesses all year long.
Log into MyBuffalo to post a comment
MyBuffalo is the new social network from Buffalo.com. Your MyBuffalo account lets you comment on and rate stories at buffalonews.com. You can also head over to mybuffalo.com to share your blog posts, stories, photos, and videos with the community. Join now or learn more.
Reader comments
Learn more about our moderation system.