A well-functioning immune system offers good protection against respiratory tract infections, including colds and the flu. One way to maintain a normal immune defence is by getting enough vitamin D. A new British study has looked into the matter...

If you want a well-functioning immune system to help you ward off the flu and other respiratory tract infections, it pays off to keep it in good working order, for instance with help from vitamin D. In a news flash on the web site www.thejournal.ie (Thursday, February 16, 2017), you can read about a recent British study of respiratory tract infections (including flus and colds) and different strategies for prevention. The British study, which is conducted by scientists from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and published in the British Medical Journal, has looked at the occurrence of respiratory tract infections among the British people, while discussing flu shots and the need for increasing vitamin D intake.

http://www.thejournal.ie/vitamin-d-colds

Why we need more vitamin D

The reason why there is increased focus on vitamin D is that we humans need this nutrient to maintain a normal immune defence. We are normally able to produce the vitamin when we expose ourselves to sunshine (without using sunscreen). However, the sunlight that we get during the cold period of the year - which is also when colds and the flu typically go around - is not sufficiently strong to enable the body to synthesise vitamin D. Therefore, many people are low in vitamin D in the autumn and winter and may benefit from taking a supplement.

How to get enough
It is only during the period from May to September that we are able to produce adequate amounts of vitamin D from sunlight. The rest of the year the sun sits too low in the sky for us to benefit from its rays.
Certain foods, oily fish in particular, also contain vitamin D, but the diet alone is no guarantee of getting the required amount of this important nutrient.

BioActive D-Pearls

More and more people take vitamin D supplements to be on the safe side. A preparation like BioActive D-Pearls is a good choice, as it contains biologically active vitamin D3 in a vegetable oil solution, which ensures superior absorption in the digestive system. The bioavailability of D-Pearls was tested by scientists from the University of Oslo in Norway. The researchers tested two D-Pearls formulations (a low-dosage and high-dosage capsule) on a group of athletes and found that both dosages were absorbed efficiently in the body.

You can read more about D-Pearls here www.pharmanord.ie

Did you know that...

• Sunscreen with a sun factor higher than 8 blocks the synthesis of vitamin D in the skin
• You have thousands of vitamin D receptors in all your different body tissues
• Vitamin D accumulates in fat tissue? Obese people are often vitamin D-deficient because the nutrient does not get into the bloodstream