Recent research proves that vitamin D guards against colds, the flu and other respiratory illnesses. A daily dose of vitamin D supplements is especially helpful in the quest to fend off sickness. However, even a weekly dose of vitamin D will help in the prevention of colds and the flu. Those who are deficient in vitamin D will especially benefit from a regular dose of this incredibly helpful vitamin. Vitamin D is currently prescribed by physicians for an array of ailments. <\/p>\n
Details of the Global Collaborative Study <\/p>\n
A team of researchers from around the world determined vitamin D supplements combat the onset of numerous respiratory diseases. Carlos Camargo from Massachusetts General Hospital's Department of Emergency Medicine served as the study's senior author. The research was funded through a grant provided by the United Kingdom's National Institute of Health Research. The worldwide collaborative study confirms that vitamin D supplements help ward off acute respiratory infections. <\/p>\n
The study consisted of a meta-analysis of 25 randomized trials with over 11,000 participants. The study's details and results were recently published on the web in The BMJ. It is widely known that vitamin D is vital for muscle and bone health. However, it was unclear as to whether vitamin D played a critically important role in combating acute respiratory infections. Such infections result in millions of hospital visits and deaths across the world each year. Clearing up Conflicting Data <\/p>\n
A handful of observational studies that monitored patients across time without implementing a specific treatment had linked low levels of vitamin D to a higher susceptibility of acute respiratory infections. Several clinical trials have also been conducted to study vitamin D supplements' protective ability. Some of these studies determined the vitamin really does provide a protective quality. However, some studies showed that it does not have any protective effect. Meta-analyses performed of these clinical trials aggregated information from numerous studies that have differing designs and\/or participant qualifications produced conflicting results. <\/p>\n
The global research team referenced above cleared up these conflicting results. Queen Mary University of London's Adrian Martineau led the team. He performed a data meta-analysis of individual participants from over a dozen nations. Participants hailed from the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and beyond. Prior meta-analyses pit average data from subjects in each study. Alternatively, individualized data meta-analysis distinguishes data from each participant, generating what is considered as a higher-resolution analysis of information across all studies. <\/p>\n
The Results <\/p>\n
It was determined that weekly and daily vitamin D supplements provided the optimal benefit for those who suffered from a severe vitamin D deficiency. This deficiency is defined as a blood level with 10 mg\/dl or less. Vitamin D supplementation reduced the odds of a respiratory infection by one-half for such individuals suffering from a vitamin D deficiency. The study also found that every single participant enjoyed at least a minor benefit from consuming vitamin D supplements on a regular basis. It is worth noting that consuming occasionally high doses of the vitamin did not generate extensive benefits. <\/p>\n
The hope is that people will ramp up their consumption of vitamin D supplements to reduce the risk of colds, the flu, and other respiratory maladies. This course of preventative action would prove especially helpful for those who are vitamin D deficient. Such supplementation would reduce the number of emergency department visits, which currently number in the millions. As a result, the health system would be less burdened. Furthermore, the study's findings might inspire food manufacturers to fortify foods with vitamin D. Such a measure would prove especially beneficial to those who are deficient in vitamin D. <\/p>\n
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\nConfirmed: Vitamin D Protects Against Colds and Flu - Worldhealth.net - Anti Aging News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"