Paper Linking Influenza to Vitamin D Deficiency

December 2008

“In a post-hoc analysis of the side effect questions of their original three-year RCT, they discovered 104 post-menopausal African American women given vitamin D were three times less likely to report cold and flu symptoms than 104 placebo controls. A low dose (800 IU/day) not only reduced reported incidence, it abolished the seasonality of reported colds and flu. A higher dose (2000 IU/day), given during the last year of their trial, virtually eradicated all reports of colds or flu. Recent discoveries about vitamin D’s mechanism of action in combating infections led Science News to suggest that vitamin D is the “antibiotic vitamin” due primarily to its robust effects on innate immunity.”

The Vitamin D Council’s second influenza paper is the most downloaded paper the last 12 months in Virology Journal, although it has only been out only 9 months.

Source: http://www.virologyj.com/content/pdf/1743-422X-5-29.pdf