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Vitamin D fights flu, asthma attacks

A study involving Japanese school children suggests that vitamin D supplements taken during the winter season and early spring helped prevent seasonal flu and asthma attacks.

Vitamin D fights flu, asthma attacks

A study involving Japanese school children suggests that vitamin D supplements taken during the winter season and early spring helped prevent seasonal flu and asthma attacks.

An earlier study has looked whether vitamin D could help prevent the bone-thinning disease - osteoporosis. The researchers in that study noticed that people taking vitamin D were three times less likely to report cold and flu symptoms.

To investigate the effect of vitamin D supplements on the incidence of seasonal influenza A in school children, researchers randomly assigned a group of 6- to 15-year-old children from Japan to take vitamin D3 supplements (1,200 international units daily) or inactive placebo during a cold and flu season. Vitamin D3, or cholecalciferol, is more readily absorbed by the body and more potent than vitamin D2, or ergocalciferol, the form often found in multivitamins.

During the study, conducted between December 2008 and March 2009, 31 of 167 children taking placebo caught influenza A compared with only 18 of 167 taking vitamin D. The vitamin D group was found to be 58 percent less likely to catch influenza A.

Vitamin D also appeared to suppress asthma attacks in children with a history of asthma. Two children taking vitamin D had asthma attacks during the study, compared to 12 children taking placebo. However, vitamin D supplementation did not prevent influenza type B.

The study shows that vitamin D3 supplementation during winter reduces the incidence of influenza A and asthma attacks.
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