Vitamin D and prevention of respiratory risks: some important points

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

Today, we want to return to the importance of vitamin D and the prevention of respiratory risks.

Vitamin D, a well-studied micronutrient

The current health situation (COVID) is on everyone's mind and 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 have a positive impact on general immunity and resistance to respiratory diseases .

The important questions about this are:

1. To what extent is vitamin D useful against respiratory diseases?
2. At what dose and frequency of intake does vitamin D work?

To answer these questions, we take up here the conclusions that the WHO (1) published in 2017 by summarizing 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, mainly in children under 16 years of age (10-12). Two of the reviews also indicated that the protective effect was observed only when a daily dose was used, but not when a bolus dose was administered. A review showed…that doses of 800 IU or less were protective against respiratory tract infections, but higher doses were not”

In this extract, several essential points are highlighted:

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

High doses (beyond 800 IU) have not proven their effectiveness in preventing respiratory diseases. It is recommended to favor daily intakes of less than 800 IU (i.e. a maximum of 4 times the Nutritional Reference 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 courses (long duration) unlike bolus doses (administration of a large 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, the conclusions of which are similar:

• Vitamin D supplementation is associated with lower risk of acute respiratory infection
• Subgroup analysis shows that this reduction in risk 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 populations. Europeans for at least 6 months of the year.

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

• in the Argalys Essentiels Multivitamins and Minerals , the dosage of Vitamin D3 is 400 IU per capsule. This allows, when taken regularly daily, 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 at lower doses, only 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 Essential supplement which covers your daily intake of Vitamin D3:

Vitamin D3
€14.50 for 4 months of coverage!