Summary Zinc plays an important role in immune function. Therefore, a study executed by several research institutes in Boston, USA, investigated whether zinc concentrations in the blood are associated with the incidence and duration of pneumonia, use of antibiotics, and pneumonia-associated deaths. 578 residents of 33 nursing homes in Boston were involved. All participants received…
Summary This Swedish study aimed to investigate whether vitamin D supplementation could reduce infectious symptoms and antibiotic consumption in patients with frequent respiratory infections. 140 suitable participants were involved who received either a supplement or a placebo daily for one year. The results showed a significantly reduced number of infections and decreased antibiotic use in…
Summary This study, conducted by a Canadian University, investigated whether vitamin D supplementation could prevent viral upper respiratory tract infections. 600 participants were divided into four groups. 1st group: vitamin D and gargling; 2nd group: placebo and gargling; 3rd group: vitamin D only, and 4th group: placebo only. The results showed that vitamin D supplementation…
Summary This study, conducted by the University of Kabul in Afghanistan, investigated the effects of vitamin D supplementation on children with diagnosed pneumonia. 453 children aged between 1 and 36 months and diagnosed with non-severe or severe pneumonia were included in the study. 224 patients received 100,000 IU of vitamin D, and 229 patients received…
Summary Researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, USA, investigated the effect of vitamin D supplements on the risk of acute respiratory infections in children in Mongolia. To this end, 247 Mongolian schoolchildren were divided into two groups. The test group received milk supplemented with vitamin D (143 children), and the control group (104…
Summary This study, conducted by the University of Auckland, New Zealand, investigated the effect of vitamin D supplementation on primary care visits during pregnancy and infancy due to acute respiratory infections. Additionally, the required dose to achieve a normal vitamin D status during infancy was determined. To this end, healthy pregnant women were assigned in…
Summary This study, executed by three research institutes in Uzbekistan, investigated seasonal changes in vitamin D status and its influence on upper respiratory tract infections among water sports athletes. 40 elite athletes and 30 controls were involved in the study. In the course of one year, vitamin D levels and inflammation parameters were measured, whereafter…
Summary This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of zinc in children with acute lower respiratory infections. The children, aged less than 5 years, received either a zinc supplement or a placebo product for 60 days. Zinc supplementation led to a significantly lower number of cases of acute lower respiratory infections (20.8% vs. 45.8%)…
Summary In this Indian study, a zinc supplement was tested as a preventative measure against acute respiratory infections in infants. A group of 272 children, aged between 6 and 11 months, was involved in this study. 141 children received the zinc supplement, and 131 children received a placebo product for 2 weeks. Zinc supplementation was…
Summary Early signs of vitamin C deficiency often go unrecognized and may manifest as a reduced desire to be physically active. Moreover, it is often associated with increased cold duration and severity. A study conducted by several American institutes investigated the effects of vitamin C supplementation on physical activity and respiratory tract infections during the…