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Director's Letter
Carole Baggerly
Director, GrassrootsHealth
As I often say when meeting with groups of people - the time to act is NOW!
How can you act?
Spearhead a community project such as
- A workplace that wants to cut down on absenteeism over the winter
- A sports team that wants to increase performance and cut down on injuries
- A church community that wants to reduce the aches and pains of their congregation
- A neighborhood that wants to stand out - take a stand for health
In any of these arenas we could test vitamin D levels, provide education, recommend supplementation and then test again in 6 months.
What group do you know that wants a 50% reduction in colds/flu?
Carole Baggerly
Director, GrassrootsHealth
A Public Health Promotion & Research Organization
Moving Research into Practice NOW!
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 Does vitamin D prevent colds and flu?
This week are sharing your data with respect to cold and flu prevention. Does a higher vitamin D serum level decrease the likelihood of getting a cold or flu? In the GrassrootsHealth questionnaire that accompanies each vitamin D test, participants are asked whether they had a cold or flu in the previous 6 months. This graph shows: - 33% of D*action participants experienced a cold and 10% experienced a flu during the 6 months before their most recent test.
- Participants with vitamin D levels ≥ 40 ng/ml reported 41% fewer cases of the flu and 15% fewer colds than participants with levels <20 ng/ml.
What has research found?Randomized trial of vitamin D supplementation and risk of acute respiratory infection in MongoliaCarlos A. Camargo, Jr., MD Dr PH, et al. Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology Harvard Medical School September 2012 Read paperCamargo, et al. found that Vitamin D supplementation significantly reduced the risk (by 50%) of acute respiratory infections (ARI) in winter among Mongolian children with vitamin D deficiency. Classrooms of Mongolian schoolchildren were randomly assigned to different treatments in winter (January-March) with 247 assigned to daily ingestion of unfortified milk or milk fortified with 300 IU D3. Parents reported ARI occurrences during these 3 months. At baseline, the median serum 25(OH)D level was 7 ng/mL. At the end of the trial, the median 25(OH)D levels of children in the group who received fortified milk was 19 ng/mL, the control group (with unfortified milk) remained the same. After adjusting for age, gender, and history of wheezing, vitamin D halved the risk of ARI. Randomized trial of vitamin D supplementation to prevent seasonal influenza A in schoolchildrenMay 2010 M. Urashima, et al. Division of Molecular Epidemiology Jikei University School of Medicine Tokyo, Japan Read PaperThis study concluded that vitamin D3 supplementation during the winter resulted in 42% fewer incidences of influenza A, especially in specific subgroups of schoolchildren. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 167 schoolchildren received vitamin D3 supplements (1200 IU/day) while another 167 received a placebo from December 2008 through March 2009. Influenza A occurred in 18 children from the treatment group compared to 31 in the placebo group.
Serum 25 Hydroxyvitamin D and the Incidence of Acute Viral Respiratory Tract Infection in Healthy Adults
James R. Sabetta et al.
Yale University School of Medicine
June 2010
A blinded study of 198 healthy adults found that a vitamin D level of 38 ng/ml or higher during the fall/winter months had a two-fold reduction in risk of developing acute respiratory tract infections and a reduction in the overall number of days sick. The participants were asked to give monthly blood samples (they were blinded to the nutrient being tested) and also asked to report any acute respiratory tract infections. They were allowed to supplement or not, there were no directions. They were followed between 4 and 5 months. 18 people were able to keep their 25(OH)D above 38 ng/ml the whole study and of those people, 15 were completely free from any colds or flu!
 What is your vitamin D level? Do you know your vitamin D level going into cold and flu season? If not, test today!
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Video of the Week:
Why Test Vitamin D?!?
Why Test Vitamin D?!?
Webinar with Carole Baggerly and Dr. Robert Heaney
Recorded 2013
One of the conclusions of the studies above was to keep your vitamin D levels above 38 ng/ml to reduce colds/flu - but how do you know your level?
You test, of course. Either through your doctor or through D*action ($65 per test, which may be less than your doctor co-pay). Make sure you get your actual number, not simply whether you are "fine" or "deficient".
Why can't you just take 5000 IU vitamin D / day and be fine?
This video will tell you why. If you don't believe it in writing, hear all the science and research behind why vitamin D testing is important. Are you the person that has a D level of 20 ng/ml when taking 5000 IU/day? Or are you the person whose level is 140 ng/ml from 5000 IU/day?
This video also goes over the common diseases that are preventable with high enough vitamin D levels and their particular cut off points. From this data you can determine what you would like your D level to be, and then test every 6 months until you get there. Then, every 6 months - 1 year to ensure you stay there.
What is your vitamin D level?
Do you know your vitamin D level going into cold and flu season? If not, test today!
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Editor's Letter
Susan Siljander
Marketing Director, GrassrootsHealth
Ever since I learned about the importance of vitamin D for preventive healthcare (and keeping well!) - I have tested my whole family. We have far less colds/flu than most families with children - how about you? Take this survey. (Only 8 questions!)
 As with most people, we were lower than expected at first. Now we regularly get sun and supplement (we live in San Diego). But... even then there are tests that come back too low at one time or another. So, then that person needs to up their supplement, or time in the sun.
I have also talked to many of you who have watched your vitamin D levels for years and "know" what your level is. I have encouraged you to test again, just to be sure, and many times I get an email back that you were surprised at your number.
So - as we enter the fall - test! Encourage your friends to test! Let's create a community around each of us that knows vitamin D is important to well being. Important enough to take the time and effort to test. Susan Siljander Marketing Director, GrassrootsHealth A Public Health Promotion & Research Organization
Moving Research into Practice NOW!
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Stop Vitamin D deficiency now! Raise vitamin D DRI to support breastfeeding mother and baby.
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Please take our very short survey about how vitamin D affects colds and flu.
Only 8 questions!
Help us understand how you prevent colds and flu with vitamin D.
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Why Test Vitamin D?!?
Carole Baggerly interviews Dr. Robert Heaney
2013
40 minute webinar explaining the science and research behind vitamin D levels. Why they are different for each person, regardless of dose. How vitamin D levels affect common diseases.
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| References |
Randomized trial of vitamin D supplementation and risk of acute respiratory infection in Mongolia
Carlos A. Camargo, Jr., MD Dr PH, et. al Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology Harvard Medical School September 2012 Read paper
Randomized trial of vitamin D supplementation to prevent seasonal influenza A in schoolchildren
M. Urashima, et. al
Division of Molecular Epidemiology
Jikei University School of Medicine
Tokyo, Japan
May 2010
Read Paper
Serum 25 Hydroxyvitamin D and the Incidence of Acute Viral Respiratory Tract Infection in Healthy Adults
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