A new study has found reason to believe that daily doses of Vitamin D can help you avoid the cold, flu and other respiratory infections.
Vitamin D has for long been regarded to as the sunshine medicine and has been given to children and adults in areas around the world where they don’t have a lot of sunlight. This is because the nutrient can be both ingested and produced naturally by the body when exposed to sunlight.
While Vitamin D deficiency is known to cause osteomalacia, also known as rickets when it occurs in children, which is the softening of one’s bones, scientists have found that the vitamin is much more essential than that.
A new study published in The British Medical Journal suggests that the benefits of Vitamin D go way beyond healthy bones and muscles. The scientists who conducted the research found that Vitamin D could protect humans from minor respiratory infections.
If you come to think about it, colds and flu are most common during winter, when sunshine is scarce and when Vitamin D deficiencies are most likely.
The research was led by academics from Queen Mary University of London, who analysed data from around 11,000 subjects collected over 25 clinical trials across 14 countries.
In their report, they concluded that daily doses of the vitamin could help prevent acute respiratory infections, which are any infection of the sinuses, throat, airways, or lungs.
These kind of infection can range from infections of the respiratory tract and ear infections to bronchitis and pneumonia.
The greatest source of the vitamin is through natural synthesis within the skin during sun exposure since few foods contain it. But then again, if you’re living in a place with strong sunlight, it might not be a good idea to sit in the sun for very long, so Vitamin D supplements might be a good choice for you.
Remember to never take any form of medication or supplements without consulting your physician first.
