Taking vitamin D is not a guaranteed guard against the cold or flu. But vitamin D supplements are inexpensive and might give you a boost. Vitamin D: New studies suggest that people with low blood levels of vitamin D are more likely to get sick. Researchers think that vitamin D may play a role in boosting immunity.
The Vitamin D “Hammer”
Gary Swalfenberg, MD recommends a one time 50,000 IU dose of Vitamin D at the first sign of the flu, or 10,000 IU taken three times daily for 48-72 hours or until the symptoms subside.
Vitamin C. Vitamin C is marketed as the go-to supplement for preventing and treating colds. Mechanistically, it makes sense: vitamin C helps immune cells form and function, and it supports the physical barriers (such as the epithelial cells of your skin) that protect you from pathogens.
Vitamin D and Immune Support
While you won't find a single nutrient that can prevent you from getting sick, adequate levels of vitamin D helps your body combat illness.
Vitamins C and D, zinc, and Echinacea have evidence-based efficacy on these immune system barriers. This review includes 82 eligible studies to consider the preventive role of these nutrients in immune clusters and in CC to provide advice on dosage and assumption of these nutrients.
The short and simple answer is: Yes! Vitamins C and D are commonly found together in multivitamins. They have complementary effects, which means that taking them together can better support your health. They're particularly beneficial to the immune system.
Vitamin D is essential for bone health as well as muscle and nerve functions. Vitamin D also helps the immune system fight off bacteria and viruses.
Your doctor might also prescribe intravenous fluids and medications, such as corticosteroids or bisphosphonates. Taking 60,000 international units (IU) a day of vitamin D for several months has been shown to cause toxicity.
Among all the cures for the common cold, zinc seems to be more effective. There are reliable studies supporting the fact that zinc can reduce the duration of a cold.
Turns out, studies now show a link between Vitamin D deficiency and the recurrence of Group A Strep Throat. Plus, there are indications it can help with many other medical issues including heart and kidney disease, chronic migraines and osteoporosis. This little supplement truly is golden!
There are more than 100 strains of rhinoviruses, and they are very good at growing in the nose and throat. The idea behind using zinc to stop cold symptoms is based on lab experiments. Scientists found that zinc blocked the rhinovirus from getting into cells.
How Long Does It Take for Vitamin D to Work? If you have a vitamin D deficiency, you may notice improvements within 4-6 weeks of consistent supplementation. However, that timeframe can vary depending on what your baseline vitamin D levels are.
Some side effects of taking too much vitamin D include weakness, dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, and others. Taking vitamin D for long periods of time in doses higher than 4000 IU (100 mcg) daily is possibly unsafe and may cause very high levels of calcium in the blood.
Conclusions: Vitamin D deficiency is common among individuals with chronic cough, which tends to persist in adults with severe vitamin D deficiency. Routine vitamin D assay may be relevant in patients with refractory chronic cough.
There are quite a few differences between vitamin D and vitamin D3, but the main difference between them is that vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that regulates calcium and phosphorous levels in the body, whereas the vitamin D3 is the natural form of vitamin D produced by the body from sunlight.
Vitamin D deficiency can be serious, it may cause compromised immunity and is associated with several other health conditions. What Happens If Vitamin D Is Too Low? Research shows that if Vitamin D is too low, it can cause immune system compromise and dysfunction.
Growing evidence has demonstrated that vitamin D has a role in sleep regulation [12]. Specifically, vitamin D deficiency (VDD) can increase risk of sleep disorders and is associated with sleep difficulties, shorter sleep duration, and nocturnal awakenings in children and adults [13,14,15].
There's no set time of day that's best to take vitamin D supplements. Some people say taking vitamin D supplements at night is an insomnia risk. There's no research to confirm this, but you might want to take your supplement earlier in the day if you think it's screwing with your sleep.
In general, the two main causes of vitamin D deficiency are: Not getting enough vitamin D in your diet and/or through sunlight. Your body isn't properly absorbing or using vitamin D.
Magnesium assists in the activation of vitamin D, which helps regulate calcium and phosphate homeostasis to influence the growth and maintenance of bones. All of the enzymes that metabolize vitamin D seem to require magnesium, which acts as a cofactor in the enzymatic reactions in the liver and kidneys.
Phenobarbital, phenytoin, and other anticonvulsant medications -- These medications may accelerate the body's use of vitamin D. Mineral oil -- Mineral oil also interferes with absorption. In addition, Vitamin D may enhance the effects of doxorubicin , a medicine used to treat a variety of cancers.
Vitamins D, E and K
Airey says it's “simply not efficient” to take them together as your body's ability to absorb the vitamins will be reduced if you take them together.