Daily vitamin D dose could prevent millions of colds

By Henry Bodkin DAILY vitamin D supplements would prevent more than three million people a year falling ill with a cold or similar infection, a major NHS-backed study has concluded.

Scientists last night said it was “undeniable” that everyone should fortify themselves with the “sunshine” vitamin after an investigation showed doing so could halve the risk of respiratory illness.

Until now, government campaigns urging greater intake of vitamin D have

focused on the benefit to people’s bones, but the new study, published in the British Medical Journal, concluded it also plays a significant role in preventing everyday illness.

Data from almost 11,000 participants worldwide showed that regular supplements resulted in a 12 per cent reduction in the numbers suffering an acute respiratory tract infection.

Prof Adrian Martineau, who led the study at Queen Mary University of London, said: “This major collaborative research effort has yielded the first definitive evidence that vitamin D really does protect against respiratory infections.”

Unlike countries such as Finland, the UK does not currently fortify food with Vitamin D as a matter of course, although Prof Martineau said that to do so would only cost a few pence per adult per year.

But Dr Benjamin Jacobs, a consultant paediatrician at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, argued: “The case for universal vitamin D supplements, or food fortification, is now undeniable.”

‘The case for universal vitamin D supplements, or food fortification, is now undeniable’