{"id":295452,"date":"2017-02-18T09:59:33","date_gmt":"2017-02-18T09:59:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=295452"},"modified":"2017-02-18T09:59:33","modified_gmt":"2017-02-18T09:59:33","slug":"vitamin-d-pills-could-stop-colds-or-flu-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=295452","title":{"rendered":"Vitamin D pills ‘could stop colds or flu’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Vitamin D supplements could spare more than three million people from colds or flu in the UK each year, researchers claim.<\/p>\n

The sunshine vitamin is vital for healthy bones, but also has a role in the immune system.<\/p>\n

The analysis, published in the British Medical Journal, argues food should be fortified with the vitamin.<\/p>\n

But Public Health England (PHE) says the infections data is not conclusive, although it does recommend supplements.<\/p>\n

These, it says, should be taken for improved bone and muscle health.<\/p>\n

The immune system uses vitamin D to make antimicrobial weapons that puncture holes in bacteria and viruses.<\/p>\n

But as vitamin D is made in the skin while out in the sun, many people have low levels during winter.<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Overall, the study said one person would be spared infection for every 33 taking vitamin D supplements.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Why is vitamin D important?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Rickets\"<\/span><\/figure>\n

Its main function is to regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body, which are vital for the growth and maintenance of healthy bones, teeth and muscles.<\/p>\n

In extreme cases, low levels can lead to rickets in children – where the bones become soft and weak and misshapen as they continue to grow.<\/p>\n

In adults, vitamin D deficiency can lead to osteomalacia – causing severe bone pain and muscle aches.<\/p>\n

But there is a balance – too much vitamin D can lead to high levels of calcium in the blood which can cause heart and kidney problems.<\/p>\n

Anyone with a chronic condition or taking medication should seek advice from their doctor.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Vitamin D: Why do we all need to take a pill a day?<\/li>\n
  • Vitamin D supplements should be taken in autumn and winter<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    One of the researchers, Prof Adrian Martineau, said: “Assuming a UK population of 65 million, and that 70% have at least one acute respiratory infection each year, then daily or weekly vitamin D supplements will mean 3.25 million fewer people would get at least one acute respiratory infection a year.”<\/p>\n

    PHE already advises everyone to take vitamin D supplements in autumn and winter for the sake of healthy bones and muscles.<\/p>\n

    They are recommended all year round for some people who get little sunlight on their skin, including people in care homes or those who cover up.<\/p>\n

    \n
    \"Two
    Vitamin D is made naturally by people’s bodies – if they get plenty of sunlight<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

    However, there is considerable debate about the importance of the latest study.<\/p>\n

    Prof Louis Levy, the head of nutrition science at PHE, said: “The evidence on vitamin D and infection is inconsistent and this study does not provide sufficient evidence to support recommending vitamin D for reducing the risk of respiratory tract infections.”<\/p>\n

    But Prof Martin Hewison, from the University of Birmingham and the Society for Endocrinology, said the findings were “striking”.<\/p>\n

    “I agree with the authors that this study supports a new indication for vitamin D beyond its established benefits for bone health,” he added.<\/p>\n

    And the research wing of the NHS, the National Institute for Health Research which funded the study, said the findings were “worthy of serious further debate”.<\/p>\n

    Ultimately, the researcher team at QMUL want vitamin D to be added to food like in the US where milk is fortified.<\/p>\n

    Prof Martineau said: “Vitamin D fortification of foods provides a steady, low-level intake of vitamin D that has virtually eliminated profound vitamin D deficiency in several countries.<\/p>\n

    “By demonstrating this new benefit of vitamin D, our study strengthens the case for introducing food fortification to improve vitamin D levels in countries such as the UK where profound vitamin D deficiency is common”<\/p>\n

    –<\/p>\n

    Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[4217,3,4122],"class_list":["post-295452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-health","tag-flu","tag-ghana-news","tag-vitamin-d"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295452","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=295452"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295452\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=295452"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=295452"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=295452"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}