Study: Vitamin D reduces the risk of getting the flu by up to 50%

According to doctors in Japan, the risk of children suffering from flu can be reduced by 50% if they take vitamin D [1]. This finding has potential implications for flu epidemics since vitamin D, — which is naturally produced by the human body when exposed to direct sunlight — has no significant side effects, costs little, and can be several times more effective than anti-viral drugs or vaccines according to research in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.[2]

Only one in ten children, aged six to 15 years, taking the sunshine vitamin in a clinical trial came down with flu compared with one in five given a dummy tablet. Mitsuyoshi Urashima, the Japanese doctor who led the trial, told The Times that vitamin D was more effective than vaccines in preventing the flu.

Vitamin D was found to be even more effective when the comparison left out children who were already given extra vitamin D by their parents, outside the trial. Taking the sunshine vitamin was then shown to reduce the risk of flu to a third of what it would otherwise be.

Dr. Damien Downing, a doctor, and medical consultant has publicly stated that governments “do like” epidemics as a chance to impose their will. The London-based doctor has been advising patients to increase their vitamin D intake rather than get the vaccine.

You might be shocked to know that there are many physicians in both Canada and the United States who prescribe as much as 50,000 IU of vitamin D daily as a treatment for a long list of chronic diseases.

Vitamin D deficiency is common during the winter months, especially in countries far north of the equator.[5] Vitamin D acts as an immune system modulator, preventing excessive production of inflammatory cytokines and increasing macrophage (a type of white cell) activity.