Vitamin D3, even when taken in low daily dosages, has been found to slash your risk of developing the flu by 42%. If optimal ranges of vitamin D intake were utilized, the percentage would most likely climb much higher.

While conducting the study, Mitsuyoshi Urashima and colleagues at the Jikei University School of Medicine in Tokyo administered only 1,200 IU of vitamin D daily to study participants. The researchers examined 430 children between the ages of 6 and 15 between December 2008 and March 2009. Half of the participants received vitamin D3 and the other half received a placebo.

Simply Taking Vitamin D3 Helps Tackle All Serious Flu Epidemics

At a dosage of 1,200 IUs per day, 334 of the children fully completed the study. In order to diagnose the presence of influenza Types A and B, researchers used nose and throat swabs on both groups. What they found was that only 18 of the children taking vitamin D3 were infected with influenza Type A, while the number rose to 31 in the placebo group.

The difference between the two groups regarding infection rates indicates a 42% decreased risk of developing the flu simply by taking vitamin D3. Interestingly, Type A influenza includes all serious flu epidemics, including seasonal flus and even the swine flu.

So if 1,200 IUs per day is low, what is the optimal daily dosage of vitamin D?

Amazingly, the children in the study are actually taking 1,300 IUs less than what is recommended to children by Canada’s Public Health Agency. According to the organization, children between the ages of 5 and 10 should be taking 2,500 IUs per day. In addition, the guidelines state that adults should be taking 5,000 IUs daily. Therefore, 1,200 IUs is not even adequate for young children.

It is important to keep in mind that these are typical standardized doses, and only through a blood test will you be able to properly analyze your vitamin D levels. The correct test you should receive is 25(OH)D, also called 25-hydroxyvitamin D. You will want to ensure that you are in the optimal vitamin D level range. The optimal range is 50-70 ng/ml, though anything over 100 is in excess. In contrast, 50 ng/ml or below is in the deficient range.

Here is an image to summarize the ranges:

Vitamin D supplementation is a simple method of slashing your flu risk and improving overall health. I encourage you to receive a blood test, which can be done through your general doctor, and optimize your vitamin D levels.

As the medical establishment begins to find out more about Vitamin D, the daily recommendations continue to go up as well. With some nutritional experts recommending upwards of 20,000 IU per day, it is hard to keep up with the growing requirements – especially in the winter months that many of us are now experiencing. Sometimes actually taking in the vitamin D proves to be the hardest part.

That’s why this article was put together, to help you determine the best source of vitamin D for you. Everyone’s location and schedule is different, and that’s why there needs to be an equal amount if diversity when it comes to getting enough of this life-saving vitamin.

The Sun

This is an obvious one. When it comes to getting vitamin D, this is simply the best way. Remember that your body cannot generate vitamin D behind glass, as the sun’s rays cannot penetrate glass. Read more about what vitamin D is and how it works in the article What You Need to Know About Vitamin D. In order for your body to make vitamin D, you might be directly exposed to the sunlight. At least fifteen to thirty minutes of sun is recommended in the summer months.

The amount of vitamin D that your body will generate from such sun exposure is extremely dependent on your geographical location in addition to the time of year. Some reports indicate that 15 minutes in the summer sun could generate as much as 10,000 IU. While this may be accurate in some areas of the world, it simply does not cover everyone’s location.

In the winter months it becomes much harder to get enough sunlight, especially for those with a job that revolves around a hectic schedule. Luckily, there are other similarly-powerful ways to optimize your vitamin D intake.

Supplementation

Supplementation is considered by many to be the next best thing in comparison to sunlight for taking vitamin D. It is important to remember, however, that the vitamin D you are taking should be in the form of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol). The body can utilize vitamin D3 much better than it can D2, and there have also been negative side effects reported with the intake of vitamin D2.

Even if vitamin D2 was only slightly worse, it makes no sense to choose vitamin D2 over vitamin D3. There is virtually no price difference at most stores, and vitamin D3 has been studied to a much further extent.

Diet

It would require ten tall glasses of vitamin D fortified milk to reach the minimum daily levels of vitamin D into your system. Food fortified with vitamin D tends to contain the low quality form, vitamin D2. Dairy products and fatty fish contain vitamin D3, but even adding them in your diet may not be enough.

Fish also tends to contain mercury, so eating it on a regular basis could do more harm than good. Eating some foods with vitamin D can pay off, and usually the best source of any vitamin is your diet, but vitamin D is unique in the sense that most people will need to be taking a vitamin D supplement to make up for what their diet lacks.

Which works for you?

Just as the best diet is a balanced one, the best method of vitamin D intake is a balanced one. Eat food sources containing vitamin D, get enough sunlight, and take a high quality vitamin D3 supplement. You simply cannot go wrong if you utilize every method available to you.