The D Report: New Study Says Vitamin D Prevents Colds and The Flu

Like Kate, I've been trying to amp up my D intake this past week. I've been pouring more glasses of milk. I've been making salmon vindaloo. Last night I cooked up Gordon Ramsay's cod and tomato dish (yum). What I've learned: It is a little harder to get D than I thought it would be. I like milk just fine, but I don't drink it regularly. I could use more of it. Ditto for other sources, such as fish. I came across a study released in today's Archives of Internal Medicine that will bolster my resolve in making D a daily thing. We all think of Vitamin C when it comes to quelling a cold, but new research suggests D is king for fighting the flu. Below, the dealio, gleaned from a press release and ScienceDaily.com. Photo grabbed from weikhang.com. Posted by Liz

• Circumstantial evidence has implicated the wintertime deficiency of vitamin D, which the body produces in response to sunlight, in the seasonal increase in colds and flu; and small studies have suggested an association between low blood levels of vitamin D and a higher risk of respiratory infections.
• In the largest and most nationally representative study of the association between vitamin D and respiratory infections, people with the lowest blood vitamin D levels reported having significantly more recent colds or cases of the flu.
• Study participants with the lowest vitamin D blood levels – less than 10 ng per milliliter of blood – were about 40 percent more likely to report having a recent respiratory infection than were those with vitamin D levels of 30 or higher.