What is the link between influenza and vitamin D? Vitamin D is an important part of the immune system. Some studies have shown that there is a link between vitamin D levels and the risk of getting influenza. People who have low vitamin D levels may have a higher chance of getting influenza5. Vitamin D receptors are found on the surface of a cell where they receive chemical signals. By attaching themselves to a receptor, these chemical signals direct a cell to do something, for example, to act in a certain way, or to divide or die. There are vitamin D receptors found on cells in the immune system, and vitamin D can bind to these receptors6. Vitamin D works in the immune system by reducing levels of inflammatory proteins called cytokines, as well as increasing amounts of antimicrobial proteins, which destroy invading germs and viruses. This combination of lowering inflammation and increasing antimicrobial defenses can help your immune system fight infections better7,8. There are two branches of your immune system: the adaptive and the innate. The adaptive immune system develops based on previous exposure to a virus. The innate immune system is the part that can respond quickly to foreign invaders, and is based on the levels of immune cells and proteins you have2,9. It is thought that vitamin D helps to strengthen innate immunity, because it can increase the amounts of good immune proteins10. If you don’t have enough vitamin D, some parts of your innate immunity may not function as well11. Influenza epidemics occur in the winter, and vitamin D levels in the greater population are dramatically lower in the winter as well12. Since influenza is seasonal, it is thought that vitamin D might be a factor that can affect someone’s chances of getting the flu7. While it is thought that having enough vitamin D may help to prevent influenza, more experiments need to be done to determine if taking vitamin D supplements can prevent influenza, or make the duration of the illness shorter. Research hasn’t been able to show definitively yet that low vitamin D levels are a cause of influenza.
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 17:16:17 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015