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Vitamin D reduces incidence and duration of colds in those with low levels

ijmpr.in

91–100 of 241 posts

Re: Vitamin D reduces incidence and duration of colds in those with low levels

#91

Most vitamins are a waste of time and money, some are even harmful[1], but there are a lot of people with D deficiency, especially in winter[2]. 1 https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/17/17/2744#:~:text=highest%20... 2 https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/vitamin-d#edit-group-image--...

I don't agree. As with everything, it requires care. Taking a multivitamin and thinking you're good to go is delusional.

For most people just eating a good balanced diet and they are good to go. There are a few with genetic/biological issues and they need more - ask your doctor. Vitamin D is one that modern lifestyles likely don't get enough of and so probably worth it - again talk to your doctor.

Re: Vitamin D reduces incidence and duration of colds in those with low levels

#92

Heliotherapy is well-due for a resurgence. One of my favourite youtubers (conquer aging or die trying) has a great interview with a medical doctor about sunlight as a medical intervention. Well worth the watch: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8UE6cJaWQ

That's Doctor Roger Seheult, MD, who hosts videos for continuing education provider MedCram (https://www.medcram.com/). They post lots of free videos on their YouTUbe channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG-iSMVtWbbwDDXgXXypARQ) and several of them cover the research behind heliotherapy.

Re: Vitamin D reduces incidence and duration of colds in those with low levels

#93
post #78

I take 10k IU of vitamin D if I feel a cold coming on. I used to get extremely bad colds very frequently, and every time I get frustrated and read whatever research might be helpful. A year ago I came across some info about LL-37, and found that vitamin D might help, and that's when I started taking it. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9134243/ The big dose of D seems to help. I'm certain I'm deficient, since…

Take like 2g of Vitamin C. It's a lot stronger. Vitamin D is good too, but if anything you want to take C.

Re: Vitamin D reduces incidence and duration of colds in those with low levels

#94
A few other interesting links with Vitamin D absorption. Surprised nobody has brought up gut dysbiosis and the role microbiome plays in Vitamin absorption. I'm finding it increasingly difficult to discern whether the things we consume are for the direct benefit of our cells and metabolic needs or via a more indirect path if the things we consume directly affect the microbiome within us which then translates into either nourishment or inflammation within us. Since microbiomes can change rapidly in composition, this feels like a game of nurturing over the long-haul with some minor blips along the way.

[1] "connection between vitamin D and the immune system through gut bacteria and may have applications for improving cancer therapies"

[2] "How the Gut Microbiome Affects Vitamin D Absorption"

[3] "vitamin D may affect the host-microbiota relationship."

[1]: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adh7954

[2]: https://www.gutnow.com/medical-treatments/how-your-gut-micro...

[3]: https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.00083-24

Re: Vitamin D reduces incidence and duration of colds in those with low levels

#95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is solely my own anecdote, but I used to get bad seasonal depression every winter. I tried a number of interventions short of medication; none moved the needle very much. I started supplementing with vitamin D probably 8 years ago and haven't had any issues with seasonal depression since. I'm pretty personally convinced that it was the supplements that helped here.

I tried a 1000 IU vitamin D pills to no avail. Bumped it up to 5000 IU and still saw very marginal bumps in my blood tests I think I might try daily 10000IU after showing my doctor how little it's moving the needle for me

I was put on prescription vitamin D2 50000 IU and it caused a bunch of side effects for me including heart palpitations for over a week and then a paradoxical reaction to magnesium causing them to be even more intense.

Proceed with caution and listen to your body. Doctors were accusing every other thing than accepting whatever it did to my calcium / other electrolytes bothered my heart.

Re: Vitamin D reduces incidence and duration of colds in those with low levels

#96

Vitamin D, red light therapy, insulin attenuating response of a walk, immunological benefit of allergen exposure, cognitive noise reduction and rest response of walks in forests. Man keeps trying to bring the outdoors inside.

Man suffered outdoors very much, for a million years. Man want both good of indoors and good of out outdoors.

Indoors best invention since fire.

Re: Vitamin D reduces incidence and duration of colds in those with low levels

#97
post #83

I personally found that taking vitamin D regularly dramatically reduced how many colds I got (10 in 2024 vs. 1 in 2025). I take 2,000 IU per day, typically without a meal.

> typically without a meal

any reason why? it's fat soluble and absorbs much better if taken with a meal.

Re: Vitamin D reduces incidence and duration of colds in those with low levels

#98
post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wow, that is interesting. They can synthesise it in their liver?

Many animals can. There are a gene for it, humans don't have it. There is a lot of speculation as to why, but nothing really stands out (possibly just random chance - if you eat enough there is no advantage to keeping the gene and in turn no loss from losing it. However I'm unable to rule out other possibilities) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3145266/ is a really interesting survey of the issue across many…

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Re: Vitamin D reduces incidence and duration of colds in those with low levels

#99
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I grew up on the Canadian praries. -10C is basically shorts weather. edit: seriously though, anything warmer than -10C you'll definitely see kids in shorts. I go skiing in shorts every year.

I'm not sure that people downvoting you have been around northerners much. Down here in the upper midwest US, we tend to consider 4 or 5C to be shorts weather in the spring. I've a friend who would wear flip flops / sandals outside down to roughly -10C. Then again, most people aren't getting the equivalent of 15 minutes of index 7 UVB exposure at those temperatures, so it's not quite the same thing, but still.

People are downvoting because it has nothing to do with the comment they're replying to or the original post. Most people are well aware temperature is relative too, I live in the American South and there are certainly people here who will wear shorts in cold or freezing weather too.

Re: Vitamin D reduces incidence and duration of colds in those with low levels

#100
Heh...this is a shady study if I ever saw one.

-- Exactly 400 study participants recruited.

-- Exactly 193 of 200 participants completing the study in each group (which, for a study administered in a community setting, is an essentially impossibly-high completion rate).

-- No author disclosures -- in fact, no information about the authors whatsoever, other than their names.

-- No information on exposures, lifestyles, or other factors which invariably influence infection rates.

-- Inappropriate statistical methods, which focus very heavily on p values.

-- Only 3 authors, which for a randomized controlled trial involving hundreds of people in different settings with regular follow-up, seems rather unlikely.

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