Vitamin D fends off the flu

Vitamin D protects people against flu.

One study found that people with severe vitamin D deficiency were 33 percent more likely to be hospitalized for a respiratory infection than people with adequate intake of the nutrient.

Vitamin D is already known to help regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the human body, which are essential for bone and muscle health, but scientists think it may also have antiviral properties.

To examine the hypothesis, experts from the Universities of Surrey, Reading and Oxford evaluated data on 36,000 adults in Britain to find out how levels of vitamin D in the body affect the rate of hospitalization for respiratory infections.

These include a range of diseases such as flu, pneumonia and bronchitis; Previous studies have linked vitamin D deficiency to an increased risk of severe Covid, another respiratory infection.

The results found that people with severe vitamin D deficiency, classified as having a blood concentration of less than 15 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L), were one-third more likely to be admitted to hospital for respiratory infections than people with optimal levels of 75 nmol/L.

The Boffins found that for every 10 nmol/L increase in vitamin D, the hospital admission rate dropped by 4 percent.

Lead study author Abi Bournot, from the University of Surrey, said: “Vitamin D is vital for our physical health.

“Not only does it keep our bones and muscles healthy, but its antibacterial and antiviral properties are also thought to help reduce the risk of respiratory infections that can lead to hospitalization.”

He continued: “This research contains solid data to support the theory. “Despite its importance to our overall health, many people are deficient in vitamin D and do not meet the Government’s recommended intake of 10 micrograms per day.

“Supplementing vitamins, especially during the winter months when exposure to sunlight is limited, is an effective way to increase vitamin D and reduce the risk of serious respiratory infections.

“This is particularly important for older people, who are at higher risk of death from such infections, and ethnic minority communities in the UK, who are at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency.”