Vitamin D and ColdsA new study by the Massachusetts General Hospital has found that increasing a child’s vitamin D intake can help reduce the amount of colds that the child gets per year. While adults average two to three colds per year, pre-schoolers get around nine colds annually, and children in kindergarten can get as many as twelve colds per year says WebMD. Previous studies have shown that a vitamin D deficiency is linked to a greater number of colds per year, but the study coming out of Boston is the very first to reveal that increasing vitamin D intake can actually help prevent colds.

During the study, researchers looked at children who suffer from low vitamin D levels. Less than twenty nanograms per milliliter of vitamin D in the blood is considered deficient, and the children in the study all had levels of about seven nanograms per milliliter, well below the healthy level. In the study, 50% of the participants were given normal milk and the rest were given milk with additional vitamin D.  When three months had passed, the group that received the fortified milk increased their vitamin D levels to an average of nineteen nanograms per milliliter. The children who received the fortified milk also had 50% less colds than the control group.

Getting Sufficient Vitamin D

You can get your daily dose of vitamin D by being in the sun for about 15 minutes per day as the body absorbs vitamin D from sunlight through the skin. Therefore, the best way to improve your child’s vitamin D levels is to ensure that they have ample opportunities to play outside in the sun. However, if you live in an area without much sun, particularly during the winter, giving your kids fortified milk can help naturally improve their vitamin D levels and keep colds at bay. You can also get vitamin D from fortified yogurt, cereal, or supplements. Most children’s multivitamins have all of the vitamin D that your children will need.

While this particular study focused on children, researchers say that it is very likely that increased levels of vitamin D can also help prevent colds in adults.  With this in mind, you should make sure that you are getting enough of this vitamin on a daily basis either through sunlight exposure, diet, or supplements.