Low Vitamin D Linked to Colds and Flu

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Low Vitamin D Linked to Colds and Flu

 

Vitamin D may be an important way to arm the immune system against disorders

like the common cold, report investigators from The University of Colorado

Denver School of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Children's

Hospital Boston.

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. The risks were even higher for those with chronic respiratory disorders,

such as asthma and emphysema. The report appears in the February 23 Archives of

Internal Medicine.

" The findings of our study support an important role for vitamin D in prevention

of common respiratory infections, such as colds and the flu, " says Adit Ginde,

MD, MPH, UC Denver Division of Emergency Medicine and lead author of the study.

" Individuals with common lung diseases, such as asthma or emphysema, may be

particularly susceptible to respiratory infections from vitamin D deficiency. "

While vitamin C has been used for the prevention of colds and other respiratory

disorders for decades, little scientific evidence supports its effectiveness. In

contrast, in recent years evidence has accumulated that vitamin D – most

commonly associated with the development and maintenance of strong bones – may

also play a key role in the immune system.

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..

The current study analyzed data from the Third National Health and Nutrition

Examination Survey (NHANES III), conducted by the National Center for Health

Statistics. Participants were interviewed in their homes regarding their health

and nutrition, and most participants also received a physical examination that

included collection of blood and other samples for laboratory analysis.

The research team analyzed blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) – the

best measure of vitamin D status – from almost 19,000 adult and adolescent

NHANES III participants, selected to be representative of the overall U.S.

population.

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.

The association was present in all seasons and even stronger among participants

with a history of asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),

including emphysema.

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