After two years of masking, distancing and disinfecting hands and everything, the common cold is back. But fortunately there is a way to reduce the duration of colds and the solution lies in vitamin D supplements according to a recent article published in The Conversation.
We may suffer more from colds during the winter because we spend more time next to each other indoors. But at the same time, a lack of certain vitamins determines our body's defenses, and vitamin D levels in particular may affect our body's armor.
"Humans get most of their vitamin D from the sun's rays (80-100%) and only a small amount is obtained from food" said the three authors of the article Sophie E Harrison, Head of Research Development and Innovation at Bangor University, Professor Neil Walsh, Director of the Extreme Conditions Research Group at John Moores University, Liverpool and Sam Oliver, Assistant Professor in Sport and Exercise Science at Bangor University.
In fact, for people living in latitudes with latitudes above 30 degrees Celsius such as the UK, there is a greater risk of having low levels of this vitamin in winter, according to the authors. People who also spend most of their time indoors or with their skin covered are also at greater risk of vitamin D deficiency. More than half of the UK population is thought to have insufficient levels of vitamin D, particularly in the months from October to March when the UK faces a huge problem in reducing these levels.
The research shows that vitamin D affects the risk of catching a cold as well as getting sick with other respiratory infections. People with low levels of vitamin D are more likely to catch a cold, while people who take a vitamin D supplement are less likely to develop a common cold.
In fact, recent research shows that taking a vitamin D supplement reduces the severity and duration of colds.
As they point out in their article, "we found that recruits with vitamin D sufficiency were less likely to come down with the common cold than recruits with deficient levels of this vitamin during 12 weeks of basic military training. We then examined the effect of vitamin D supplementation during the winter. We provided supplementation with either simulated sunlight or oral vitamin D3 tablets, and as a result we had an increase in vitamin sufficiency in almost all recruits."
While, the authors add, vitamin D supplementation may not have reduced the likelihood of developing the common cold, it did reduce the duration of the common cold by 36% and at the same time reduced the severity of symptoms by 15%.
How to replenish your vitamin D
The study findings suggest that during the winter, vitamin D supplements play a potentially beneficial role.
As the study experts advise, to ensure we get enough vitamin D during the summer, we should have short periods of regular and safe sun exposure. In Greece it is quite easy to get more vitamin D, however in the winter months or in other more northern countries it is quite difficult to impossible to supplement the right amounts of vitamin D to boost the immune system. In this context, it is recommended to take supplements during the months of October to March.
Source: ygeiamou.gr
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