Vitamin D pills 'could stop colds or flu'

[nitpicker]

http://www.bbc.com/news/health-38988982

Vitamin D pills 'could stop colds or flu'

By James Gallagher
Health and science reporter


6 hours ago

From the section Health

Vitamin D supplements could spare more than three million people from colds or flu in the UK each year, researchers claim. The sunshine vitamin is vital for healthy bones, but also has a role in the immune system.

The analysis, published in the British Medical Journal, argues food should be fortified with the vitamin. But Public Health England (PHE) says the infections data is not conclusive, although it does recommend supplements. These, it says, should be taken for improved bone and muscle health.
(snip)

Trials on using supplements to prevent infections have given mixed results, so the researchers pooled data on 11,321 people from 25 separate trials to try to get a definitive answer. The team at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) looked at respiratory tract infections - which covers a wide range of illnesses from a sniffle to flu to pneumonia.

Overall, the study said one person would be spared infection for every 33 taking vitamin D supplements. That is more effective than flu vaccination, which needs to treat 40 to prevent one case, although flu is far more serious than the common cold.

There were greater benefits for those taking pills daily or weekly - rather than in monthly super-doses - and in people who were deficient in the first place.
(snip)

[Sherman A1]

1. Interesting

Thanks for posting. It's been a rough flu season for us around here. Haven't had the flu in years and got hammered in mid January. MIL and Spouse are still fighting the affects.

[Mosby]

2. It was discovered recently

that the RDA for vitamin D was miscalculated by a factor of 10.

Since then I started taking a 5000 IU chewable every day.



https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150317122458.htm