With the onset of the cold season and ARVI, many rush to the pharmacy for vitamins. But it can not insure you against diseases!.

Recent studies of vitamin D have shown that it does not help protect against colds. But in general, the deficit of this substance, of course, weakens the body.

"Vitamin D can not prevent or reduce the severity of colds," said the study's lead author, Dr. David Murdoch, professor and pathology manager at Otago University in Christchurch, New Zealand.

The results of the study are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Vitamin D helps the immune system work, and several observational studies have shown that people with higher levels of vitamin A are less likely to suffer from colds.

To test this relationship, Murdoch and his colleagues suggested that 300 healthy people take vitamin D.

Half of the group received 200,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D for the first two months, and then 100,000 IU for the rest of the 18-month study.

The other half received a placebo.

During the entire study period, those taking vitamin D had an average of 3.7 colds per person for 18 months, while in the placebo group there was an average of 3.8 colds per person.

Scientists believe that the difference is so insignificant that it can not be considered an argument in favor of taking this vitamin as a protection against colds.

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