Guest guest Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 COMMON COLD Sunshine vitamin may offer some protection. THE QUESTION Some believe that Vitamin D, the nutrient most often linked to calcium and the maintenance of strong bones, might also help prevent colds. Is such a belief grounded in fact? THIS STUDY analyzed data on 18,883 people, age 12 and older, including tests that measured levels of Vitamin D in the bloodstream. About 19 percent reported having had a cold within a few days of their starting the study. People with the lowest levels of Vitamin D (less than 10 nanograms per milliliter of blood) were 36 percent more likely to have had a recent cold, regardless of the time of year, than were those with the highest levels (30 or more nanograms). Risks were greater for people with asthma and low Vitamin D levels; they were five times more likely to have had a cold than those with the most Vitamin D. WHO MAY BE AFFECTED? People with low levels of Vitamin D, which the body takes in through exposure to sunshine (15 minutes several times a week is recommended) and from food (egg yolks, saltwater fish, liver and fortified milk) or supplements. Most people need the equivalent of 400 to 600 international units of Vitamin D daily. CAVEATS The study did not prove that low levels of Vitamin D cause colds; it could be that Vitamin D levels drop when someone has a cold. FIND THIS STUDY Feb. 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. LEARN MORE ABOUT the common cold at http://www.lungusa.org and http://www3.niaid.nih.gov. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Hi folks: Of course the vitamin D blood levels observed in this study were ALL below what is now considered here as the low end of the range recommended by the conventional wisdom. (And frequently the conventional wisdom is totally out to lunch - remember when the conventional wisdom told everyone that 350 total cholesterol was ' ' ' normal ' ' '?) The blood levels of vitamin D now suggested by some of the people doing the research in this area include a low end of the 'ideal range' more than DOUBLE the HIGH end of the range mentioned in this study. As has been discussed here before, researchers studying the effects of inconsequential changes in intakes should not expect substantial results. And this is as likely to be true in the case of vitamin D and it has been shown to be in the case of low fat diets. If you define a low fat diet to be eating a diet containing 35% fat, do not expect to see material improvements in lipid values. However, a diet where 10% to 15% of calories are provided by fat (and those the better fats) has been shown to have dramatic results. If in this vitamin D study they had observed a large enough sub-group within their subjects whose 25(OH)D was between 70 and 90 ng/ml (=175-225 nmol/L) then perhaps the study conclusions would have been much more interesting .............. and much more relevant. Rodney. > > > COMMON COLD > > Sunshine vitamin may offer some protection. > > THE QUESTION Some believe that Vitamin D, the nutrient most often linked to > calcium and the maintenance of strong bones, might also help prevent colds. > Is such a belief grounded in fact? > > THIS STUDY analyzed data on 18,883 people, age 12 and older, including tests > that measured levels of Vitamin D in the bloodstream. About 19 percent > reported having had a cold within a few days of their starting the study. > People with the lowest levels of Vitamin D (less than 10 nanograms per > milliliter of blood) were 36 percent more likely to have had a recent cold, > regardless of the time of year, than were those with the highest levels (30 > or more nanograms). Risks were greater for people with asthma and low > Vitamin D levels; they were five times more likely to have had a cold than > those with the most Vitamin D. > > WHO MAY BE AFFECTED? People with low levels of Vitamin D, which the body > takes in through exposure to sunshine (15 minutes several times a week is > recommended) and from food (egg yolks, saltwater fish, liver and fortified > milk) or supplements. Most people need the equivalent of 400 to 600 > international units of Vitamin D daily. > > > > CAVEATS The study did not prove that low levels of Vitamin D cause colds; it > could be that Vitamin D levels drop when someone has a cold. > > FIND THIS STUDY Feb. 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. > > LEARN MORE ABOUT the common cold at http://www.lungusa.org and > http://www3.niaid.nih.gov. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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