D3 I thought that I wouldn’t be writing about Vitamin D again for at least a few weeks and then this morning I opened my daily newsletter from a Dr. Mercola and there it was again ~Vitamin D and I thought that it was important enough to share.
According to Dr. Mercola’s post, Swine flu, H1N1, has killed thirty-six children in the U.S. and an outside analysis of CDC data indicates Vitamin D deficient children are at higher risk of death.…almost two-thirds of the dead children had epilepsy, cerebral palsy, or other neurodevelopmental conditions like mental retardation.
Dr. Mercola states that all of these neurological conditions are associated with childhood Vitamin D deficiency. Exacerbating the problem further, many of these kids take Anticonvulsant Drugs, which lower Vitamin D levels. ***This is a note to adults on Anticonvulsant Drugs to get their Vitamin D levels checked.
The Connection Between Your Vitamin D Levels and the Flu ~
Previously, a Dr. Cannell found that people with the lowest blood Vitamin D levels reported having significantly more colds or cases of the flu. The positive correlation between lower vitamin D levels and increased risk of upper respiratory tract infections was even more pronounced in individuals with Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
Part of the explanation is that Vitamin D creates over 200 antimicrobial peptides in your body that serve as natural broad-spectrum antibiotics,
So when your vitamin D levels fall, you also reduce your natural capacity to ward off colds, influenza and other respiratory infections. During flu seasons, Vitamin D levels in your blood are typically at their lowest point due to lack of exposure to sunshine.
At least four other recent studies show this inverse association between lower respiratory tract infections and 25(OH)D levels. That is, the higher your Vitamin D level, the lower your risk of contracting colds, flu, and other respiratory tract infections:
Please view the entire post for more studies:http://articles.mercola.com/sites/current.aspx