Vitamin D and prevention of respiratory risks: some important points

In a previous article, we looked at the benefits and properties of vitamin D in the body .

Today, we would like to revisit the importance of vitamin D and the prevention of respiratory risks.

Vitamin D, a highly studied micronutrient

The current health situation (COVID) is on everyone's minds and very logically means that all preventive solutions that improve the body's general resistance to microbial attacks are being sought and studied.

Vitamin D is one of the micronutrients that has a positive impact on general immunity and resistance to respiratory diseases .

The important questions about this are:

1. How useful is vitamin D for respiratory diseases?
2. At what dose and frequency of taking does vitamin D work?

To answer these questions, we are reproducing here the conclusions that the WHO (1) published in 2017 by synthesizing 4 studies on this subject.

"Three of the reviews (out of 4) consistently showed a benefit of vitamin D supplementation for the prevention of respiratory tract infections, primarily in children under 16 years of age (10-12). Two of the reviews also indicated that the protective effect was only observed when using a daily dose, but not when giving a bolus dose. One review showed … that doses of 800 IU or less were protective against respiratory tract infections, but not higher doses."

In this extract, several essential points are highlighted:

• The protective effect of vitamin D supplementation is dose-dependent

High doses (over 800 IU) have not been proven effective in preventing respiratory diseases. It is recommended to favor daily doses of less than 800 IU (i.e., a maximum of 4 times the Reference Nutrient Value: NRV).

• The protective effect of vitamin D supplementation depends on the regularity of intake

These studies show that the protective effect of vitamin D is observed with cures (long duration) unlike bolus doses (administration of a high dose in one go).
Regular intake is therefore preferable.

Since this WHO publication, several studies have reaffirmed the importance of vitamin D in the prevention of respiratory diseases .

This is the case of a publication by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) of the United Kingdom as part of its “Health Technology Assessment” program (2) in 2019, whose conclusions are similar:

• Vitamin D supplementation is associated with a lower risk of acute respiratory infection
• Subgroup analysis shows that this risk reduction is observed in subjects receiving daily or weekly vitamin D supplementation but not in those receiving a monthly or quarterly dose.

Vitamin D in food supplements

The interest in taking food supplements rich in vitamin D is obviously justified by these new studies and the global health situation, particularly for all people and in all situations with low sun exposure, which is the case for all European populations for at least 6 months of the year.

In the Argalys Essentiels range, all Vitamin D is in the form of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) of plant origin (lichen extract):

• In Argalys Essential Multivitamins and Minerals , the dosage of Vitamin D3 is 400 IU per capsule. This allows, when taken regularly on a daily basis, to benefit from the positive effects observed by the WHO.

• The new vitamin D3 spray (500 IU / spray) is an easy solution, always at hand and practical for the whole family, all year round!
  
  
• the Calcium/Vitamin D3/Boron formula in which vitamin D is present in lower doses, solely to improve calcium absorption

Useful links:

• WHO publication

(1) https://www.who.int/elena/titles/commentary/vitamind_pneumonia_children/fr/

(2) Martineau AR, Jolliffe DA, Greenberg L, et al. Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory infections: individual participant data meta-analysis. Health Technol Assess 2019; 23 (2).

Our Essentials supplement which covers your daily intake of Vitamin D3:

Vitamin D3
€14.50 for 4 months of coverage!