Vitamin D and gargling to prevent respiratory infections

2014-07-02 15:02:40

A new study was published that examined 2 whether separate items could prevent upper respiratory tract infections in university students.⁽¹⁾ First, they wanted to know if vitamin D supplementation (10,000 IU per week) would be helpful. Secondly, they wanted to see if gargling would help with prevention. They conducted their study with a design that allowed testing of both treatments independently and together. 600 students were randomized into the treatment groups and completed weekly surveys. They also submitted nasal swabs. Symptomatic students completed additional symptom diaries. The researchers measured the occurrence of symptoms of respiratory infections and lab confirmed infections. The results showed that 25% of participants reported infections. 23.3% of those taking vitamin D reported infections versus 26.7% taking placebo. 28.3% of those gargling reported infections compared to 21.7% of those not gargling. Overall, vitamin D3 treatment was associated with much lower risk of lab confirmed infection and a lower quantity of viruses. Gargling did not have a huge effect in either direction. The researchers conclude that vitamin D3 is a promising treatment for prevention of respiratory infections.