The Importance of Vitamin D

Research Proves Vitamin D Is a Potent Weapon Against Influenza

Robert Edgar Hope-Simpson was one of the first to discover the link between a deficiency in solar radiation and seasonal influenza. Then, in 2006, the journal Epidemiology and Infection5 published Dr. John Cannell’s paper "Epidemic Influenza and Vitamin D,"6 which presents the hypothesis that influenza is little more than a symptom of vitamin D deficiency.

Clearly, just because you’re exposed to a virus does not automatically mean that you will get sick. On the contrary, studies7 have shown that even in people without any antibodies against a particular virus, the majority do not develop any symptoms at all when directly exposed in experiments.

The fact of the matter is that if your immune system is operating optimally, your chances of contracting a cold or flu-like illness or influenza are very slim. Vitamin D is an important player in overall healthy immune function, but it’s also an effective antimicrobial agent in its own right, producing 200 to 300 different antimicrobial peptides in your body that kill bacteria, viruses and fungi. So optimizing your vitamin D levels will help combat viruses in more ways than one.

Dr. Cannell followed up on his hypothesis with another study published in the Virology Journal8 in 2008, and his findings were again confirmed in 2009—this time by the largest and most nationally representative study of its kind to date, involving about 19,000 Americans. That same year (2009), it was discovered that almost two-thirds of the children who died from H1N1 swine flu complications had underlying health problems such as  epilepsy, cerebral palsy, or other neurodevelopmental disorders. Neurological and immune disorders have been associated with childhood vitamin D deficiency, which could also have made the children  more susceptible to swine flu complications.

A 2010 study9 that didn't get any widespread attention also demonstrated the effectiveness of vitamin D as a preventive strategy against influenza. In fact, children taking just 1,200 IUs of vitamin D3 per day, which is considered a low dose, were shown to be 42 percent less likely to come down with the flu. I firmly believe that optimizing your vitamin D levels is the single most important and least expensive action you can take to help strengthen immune function and protect against getting sick during the flu season, and would STRONGLY urge you to have your vitamin D level monitored to confirm your levels are therapeutic at 50-70 ng/ml year-round.

The Best Way to Optimize Your Vitamin D Levels

Research on vitamin D is moving forward swiftly, so you’d be well advised to stay on top of the latest developments as recommendations are refined and updated. I will cover the latest developments here, so you may want to share this article with your peers.  

Sun exposure is by far the best way to optimize your vitamin D levels as your body has built-in “fail-safe” mechanisms that help prevent detrimental side effects from occurring. Vitamin D from sunlight acts as a pro-hormone, rapidly converting in your skin into 25-hydroxyvitamin D, or vitamin D3. A viable alternative is to use a safe tanning bed, i.e. one that has an electronic ballast, opposed to a magnetic one.

Sun exposure may also be more beneficial due to the fact that when your skin is exposed to sunlight, it produces cholesterol sulfate, which is important for optimal brain and heart function. Cholesterol sulfate also appears to play an important role in reducing LDL cholesterol, which is associated with cardiovascular disease. So there’s more to gain by getting sun exposure than “just” protecting yourself against influenza and flu-like illness.

The problem, of course, is that it can be difficult to get enough sun exposure, especially during winter months when you need it the most. Last year, I created a video to help you determine if you can get enough vitamin D from sun exposure in your area at different times of the year. 

If you decide to take supplements to boost your vitamin D levels, based on the latest investigations by Carole Baggerly, director of GrassrootsHealth, the average adult dose required to reach healthy vitamin D levels is around 8,000 IUs of vitamin D per day. For children, many experts agree they need about 35 IUs of vitamin D per pound of body weight. Here, it’s important to remember that if you’re taking high-dose vitamin D supplements, you ALSO need to take vitamin K2, and monitor your levels via blood testing to ensure that they’re within the optimal range.

Diet and Sleep Are Also Important Factors

Besides vitamin D, addressing your diet and sleep pattern can go a long way toward warding off the flu. When it comes to diet, perhaps the most important factor is to avoid processed foods and sugar (especially fructose), as sugar decreases the function of your immune system almost immediately. Be aware that sugar (typically in the form of high fructose corn syrup) is present in foods you may not suspect, like ketchup and fruit juice. A high-sugar diet will also decimate your beneficial bacteria and feed the pathogenic yeast and viruses. Clearly, if you are sick, or specifically want to reduce your chances of getting sick, then sugar is thelast thing you should be eating.

It’s important to remember that the bacteria in your gut have enormous control of your immune response. In addition to avoiding processed food and sugar, you’d be wise to add in fermented foods on a regular basis, which will help reseed your gut with a wide array of beneficial bacteria.

Sleep is another important factor. Just like it becomes harder for you to get your daily tasks done if you're tired, if your body is overly fatigued it will be harder for it to fight the flu. Be sure to check out my article "Guide to a Good Night's Sleep" for some great tips to help you get quality rest.