Saturday Dec 28, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new study in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition provides new evidence to suggest that vitamin D supplementation indeed prevents infection.

Rachel E Neale from Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Queensland, Australia and colleagues conducted the study and found people taking oral vitamin D as a dietary supplement were less likely to use antibiotics meaning that these individuals were less likely to experience infection.

For the trial, 644 Australian residents aged 60 to 84 years were randomly assigned to receive place or 30,000 IU or 60,000IU of cholecalciferol per month for up to12 months.  Prescription of antibiotics during the trial was ascertained by linkage with pharmacy records.

Participants who received 60,000 IU of vitamin D per month (or 2,000 IU per day) were at 28% reduced risk of having antibiotics prescribed at least once, compared with those taking placebo.

The protective effect against infection was particularly significant among those aged 70 or older.  Among these older participants, those taking vitamin D supplementation were 47% less likely to use antibiotics than those taking placebo.

The researchers concluded supplementation with 60,000 IU vitamin D per month is associated with lower risk of infection, particularly in older adults.

Vitamin D is known to play an important role in innate immunity, which is why vitamin D can help prevent colds/flu.   Another early trial in Japan shows that school children taking vitamin D reduced risk of influenza.  Laboratory work has proved that vitamin D is essential in making antibacterial peptides, which protect against infection. (DL)