Low vitamin D may increase respiratory infection risk by as much as 33%

• Vitamin D is a nutrient that plays an important role in maintaining the body’s health beyond bone health.
• Despite vitamin D’s importance, past research indicates that up to 1 billion people worldwide are vitamin D-deficient.
• A new study found a potential link between vitamin D deficiency and a higher rate of hospitalization for respiratory tract infections.

Vitamin D is a nutrient that plays an important role in maintaining the body’s health. While everyone knows vitamin D helps build strong bones, it also supports the immune system, muscle function, metabolic health, and brain health.

Despite vitamin D’s importance, past research shows that up to 1 billion people around the world are vitamin D deficient, which can have a negative impact on certain health areas.

“While vitamin D’s role in bone health is well-established, recent research shows that vitamin D deficiency has implications for an extensive range of health outcomes beyond bone health, including muscle function, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and immune function,” Abi Bournot, MSc, ANutr, PhD research fellow in the BBSRC Food Biosystems Doctoral Training Partnership at the University of Surrey in the U.K., told Medical News Today.

Adding to this list is a new study recently published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, for which Bournot is the lead author, that found a potential link between vitamin D deficiency and a higher rate of hospitalization for respiratory tract infections.