ABC, but don't forget Vitamin D

Why is the 'sunshine vitamin' so important for our daily wellbeing?

Experts have recommended for a number of years now that, as well as the popular winter vitamin – Vitamin C, everyone can benefit from taking a Vitamin D supplement.  This is based on recent research that this important nutrient has a number of key benefits, including its role in fighting cold and flu. In an average year it is thought that 70% of people suffer with colds, 29% with flu, 57% with coughs and sore throats and 46% with stuffy noses – quite a catalogue of discomfort.

A fascinating new theory suggests that a reduced level of vitamin D in the blood during the winter increases susceptibility to flu infections. In fact, the studies have suggested that it may be a deficiency in Vitamin D3 that could be at the root of the seasonal flu outbreaks, a mystery that has baffled health care professionals for the last century.

During the summer months, we generally see an increase in the body’s Vitamin D levels as it is produced when the skin is exposed to sunshine. Some researchers have suggested this additional Vitamin D3 boosts the body’s natural immune defenses.