Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and the incidence of acute viral respiratory tract infections in healthy adults.
PLoS One. 2010 Jun 14;5(6):e11088.
Sabetta JR, Depetrillo P, Cipriani RJ, Smardin J, Burns LA, Landry ML.
Department of Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.
BACKGROUND: Declining serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D seen in the fall and winter as distance increases from the equator may be a factor in the seasonal increased prevalence of influenza and other viral infections. This study was done to determine if serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations correlated with the incidence of acute viral respiratory tract infections.
METHODOLOGY/FINDINGS: In this prospective cohort study serial monthly concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were measured over the fall and winter 2009-2010 in 198 healthy adults, blinded to the nature of the substance being measured. The participants were evaluated for the development of any acute respiratory tract infections by investigators blinded to the 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations. The incidence of infection in participants with different concentrations of vitamin D was determined. One hundred ninety-five (98.5%) of the enrolled participants completed the study. Light skin pigmentation, lean body mass, and supplementation with vitamin D were found to correlate with higher concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Concentrations of 38 ng/ml or more were associated with a significant (p<0.0001) two-fold reduction in the risk of developing acute respiratory tract infections and with a marked reduction in the percentages of days ill.
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Maintenance of a 25-hydroxyvitamin D serum concentration of 38 ng/ml or higher should significantly reduce the incidence of acute viral respiratory tract infections and the burden of illness caused thereby, at least during the fall and winter in temperate zones. The findings of the present study provide direction for and call for future interventional studies examining the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation in reducing the incidence and severity of specific viral infections, including influenza, in the general population and in subpopulations with lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations, such as pregnant women, dark skinned individuals, and the obese.
PMID: 20559424
See also Vitamin D Life
- Vitamin D and Respiratory Tract Infections – meta-analysis with charts June 2013 also in PLOS One
- PDF (file) which is the source of the image
- Lower respiratory tract infections in children associated with Low Vitamin D – meta-analysis May 2016
- Respiratory Tract visits 2.5 less likely with vitamin D: Pregnancy 2000 IU, Infant 800 IU – RCT Oct 2014
- Respiratory infections cut in half by 20,000 IU weekly vitamin D if initially deficient – RCT March 2015
- Respiratory tract infection eliminated in 36 percent of people by 4000 IU of Vitamin D – RCT Sept 2015
- Acute respiratory tract infections prevented by vitamin D (even when ignoring the dose size – Meta-analysis Feb 2017
- Vitamin D reduces respiratory tract infections by 40 percent– meta-analysis Dec 2012
- Reduced viral respiratory track infections by half by having more than 38 ng of vitamin D – June 2010 many people get > 38 ng with 50,000 every two weeks
- Vitamin D response time is 3-6 months, not much benefit in first 4 months – RCT July 2017
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