Vit D May Prevent the Flu

A doctor I have been talking to in Springfield, IL says there are many benefits to vitamin D and the lack of vitamin D in many kids is dangerous.

He sent me this study on kids and vitamin D that looks at whether the supplement can prevent influenza or the flu. Vitamin D supplements over the winter could mean fewer trips to the doctor's office. That sounds good to me!

Note: The recommended daily allowance of vitamin D is 400IU. The kids in this randomized trial received substantially more than that.

Randomized trial of vitamin D supplementation to prevent seasonal influenza A in schoolchildren 1,2,3


ABSTRACT Background: To our knowledge, no rigorously designed clinical trials have evaluated the relation between vitamin D and physician-diagnosed seasonal influenza.

Objective: We investigated the effect of vitamin D supplements on the incidence of seasonal influenza A in schoolchildren.

Design: From December 2008 through March 2009, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial comparing vitamin D3 supplements (1200 IU/d) with placebo in schoolchildren. The primary outcome was the incidence of influenza A, diagnosed with influenza antigen testing with a nasopharyngeal swab specimen.

Results: Influenza A occurred in 18 of 167 (10.8%) children in the vitamin D3 group compared with 31 of 167 (18.6%) children in the placebo group [relative risk (RR), 0.58; 95% CI: 0.34, 0.99; P = 0.04]. The reduction in influenza A was more prominent in children who had not been taking other vitamin D supplements (RR: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.17, 0.79; P = 0.006) and who started nursery school after age 3 y (RR: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.17, 0.78; P = 0.005). In children with a previous diagnosis of asthma, asthma attacks as a secondary outcome occurred in 2 children receiving vitamin D3 compared with 12 children receiving placebo (RR: 0.17; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.73; P = 0.006).

Conclusion: This study suggests that vitamin D3 supplementation during the winter may reduce the incidence of influenza A, especially in specific subgroups of schoolchildren. This trial was registered at https://center.umin.ac.jp as UMIN000001373. Received for publication December 17, 2009. Accepted for publication February 11, 2010.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen
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