July 30, 2009 – Would vitamin D be an ally in the fight against the flu? This is one of the questions that the Public Health Agency of Canada will try to answer in a study on influenza A (H1N1). To do this, she will check whether those with moderate flu are better provided with vitamin D than those with severe symptoms.
The question has been in the minds of scientists for a long time. The reason is simple: the flu is most prevalent in winter, when the sun is less present. And it is during this period that many are deficient in vitamin D since exposure to the sun can provide 80% to 90% of the required dose.
This observation is obviously not the causal link, but scientists are not short of assumptions about it. Most believe that it is by strengthening the immune system that vitamin D reduces the chances of getting infected or seriously affected. “The evidence that vitamin D appears to help the immune system fight off intruders better is almost overwhelming,” says vitamin D specialist Reinhold Vieth, professor at the University of Toronto.
Have your vitamin D level tested
The Public Health Agency of Canada is looking at a very promising research topic, thinks Reinhold Vieth. This is also believed by two other experts in nutrition and epidemiology, Edward Giovannucci, of the Harvard School of Public Health, and Cedric Garland, of the University of California. The latter even suggests not to wait for the results of the study. According to him, anyone living above the 30e At the same time, he should have his vitamin D blood level checked every year by having his 25-hydroxycholecalciferol level measured. Ideally, it should reach 40 to 60 ng / ml (nanograms of calciferol per milliliter of blood).
“Since there are other benefits to preventing vitamin D deficiency, this should be a priority anyway,” argues Edward Giovannucci for his part.
The study carried out by the Agency is part of a much larger research project. Its goal is to find out what makes a person more likely to contract the influenza A (H1N1) virus or to develop severe symptoms. She is particularly interested in genes, age, sex, weight, underlying diseases and vaccination history of people affected, with the aim of facilitating the fight against the pandemic.
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Vitamin D under review Many studies have been published in recent years on the health benefits of vitamin D. An independent scientific body – the Institute of Medicine – is currently examining the question, at the request of Health Canada and several American federal institutions. Its experts could, if necessary, propose to revise upwards the dietary reference intakes for vitamin D. The report is expected in spring 2010. |
Marie-Hélène Croisetière – PasseportSanté.net
According to the Globe and Mail.
