By: Melita Horvat |
Vitamin D - a powerful ally in the fight against flu and cold |
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The latest research on vitamin D has revealed it has a positive effect on the prevention of flu and relieves the symptoms of colds and flu.
Scientists are increasingly inclined to the opinion that this vitamin could be a substitute for the flu vaccine, which are not only ineffective, but also very harmful.
Research suggests a somewhat ironic conclusion that plain vitamin D, which is safe for health, free and accessible for all, can protect the body more efficiently than modern vaccines.
Flu is frightened by a vitamin D
Scientific studies have found that vitamin D stimulates the production of CD8 T cells.
The presence of a large number of these cells in the body is associated with a reduced or even complete absence of symptoms of influenza.
The famous American doctor John Cannella was among the first ones who emphasized the fact that a lack of vitamin D in the body may be the main cause of the flu.
His theory was published 2006 in the journal Epidemiology and Infection, and scientifically was verified in 2009 when the research revealed that people with low levels of vitamin D often suffer from colds and flu.
A team of scientists that investigated H1N1 pandemic in 2009 found that people with a higher number of CD8 T cells had very mild flu symptoms, or the symptoms were completely absent.
At the same time, a group with a reduced amount of those same cells had pronounced symptoms of H1N1 flu.
According to the present research it seems that vitamin D could be used in preventing influenza and reducing its symptoms and that vitamin D could be a very good natural substitute for vaccines.
Sunshine vitamin
Vitamin D, also known as the "sunshine vitamin", is a prohormone made up of several compounds.
The most important to the human body is D2 (ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholekalciferol).
Vitamin D is produced in our bodies when we are exposed to sunlight. Sunlight is actually the largest source of vitamin D for humans.
In addition to using the sun, vitamin D can be introduced into the human body via some animal source foods and cereals.
However, the amount of vitamin D we get through food is absolutely negligible compared to the amount od the vitamin D our body produces during exposure to sun rays.
In comparison, twenty minutes in the sun results in a dose of 250 micrograms of vitamin D, while for the same dose you would need to drink about ten liters of milk.
Its deficiency is associated with many diseases
In the past, a lack of vitamin D was tied exclusively to rickets and osteoporosis. It was believed that this vitamin has no other significant negative consequences for the organism, and it was not known whether it has any positive effect on human health.
However, recent scientific studies prove that vitamin D deficiency is not a threat only because of rickets and osteoporosis, but that insufficient amounts of vitamin D in the body can cause other diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and cancer.
Opposite, with a sufficient amount of vitamin D the body can successfully defend against a variety of ailments and diseases.
Vitamin D is now increasingly used in the treatment and prevention of cancer and prevention of autoimmune diseases.
Studies of vitamin D have shown that it can help in the regulation of increased body mass.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota have found that the optimal level of vitamin D in the body results in a successful loss of excess weight.
What can cause vitamin D deficiency:
- insufficient and limited exposure to sunlight
- staying indoors entire day
- use of sunscreen
- strict vegan diet and lack of travel in the sun
- dark skin color (melanin reduces the skin's ability to produce vitamin D)
- increased degradation of vitamin D (for example, due to treatment with corticosteroids)
- reduced absorption of vitamin D (certain diseases such as cystic fibrosis, celiac disease or Crohn's disease affect the digestive system's ability to absorb vitamin D from food)
Symptoms of vitamin D insufficiency in the body
- gout
- weight loss
- extremely perspiration
- muscle weakness
- chronic fatigue and physical weakness
- depression
- irritability
How to provide vitamin D to the body
Staying in the sun two to three times a week for twenty minutes is sufficient to ensure enough vitamin D to the body.
The positive effects of vitamin D
Vitamin D plays an important role in the prevention and treatment of the following diseases:
- diabetes
- hypertension
- asthma
- cardiovascular disease
- prevention and mitigation of influenza
- immunity disorders
- psoriasis
- colon, prostate, breast cancer
- muscle and kidney disease
- autoimmune diseases (multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis)
- depression
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