According to a recent study by the Harvard Medical School and other members of the medical communities, vitamin D may have the power to prevent people from contracting colds, especially asthma and chronic lung condition sufferers, reports Health.

The study involved about 19,000 people over the age of 12 and studied both their levels of vitamin D and their protection from respiratory tract infections. About half of the participants weren't getting enough of the sunshine vitamin (so called because sunlight prompts vitamin D production in the body), which is hard to find in foods other than milk and fish.

The study found that not only were people recovering from a recent cold experiencing low amounts of vitamin D in their blood, but also that as vitamin D levels dropped, the risk of developing a cold or other respiratory infection rose. For asthmatic patients, the links between vitamin D levels and cold or infections were even more potent with six times greater risk for colds when vitamin D levels are low.

The moral of the story? Get your D. Chances are you aren't getting enough from your diet (unless you happen to drink fortified milk and eat herring all day), so go for a supplement that provides at least 400 IU and be sure to get at least 15 minutes of sunshine. But don't go overboard with the vitamin since too much can cause kidney stones and other health problems.

-- Whitney Teal

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