Does vitamin D help your body fight the flu shot?
Vitamin D, leptin and impact on immune response to seasonal influenza A/H1N1 vaccine in older persons
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Vitamin D showed no correlation with antibody response to the flu vaccine, despite its known immunomodulatory role.
Many prior studies and public health messages suggest vitamin D enhances vaccine response—this study found zero link to antibodies, the gold standard for vaccine effectiveness.
Practical Takeaways
Don’t take vitamin D supplements solely to boost flu vaccine effectiveness.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Vitamin D showed no correlation with antibody response to the flu vaccine, despite its known immunomodulatory role.
Many prior studies and public health messages suggest vitamin D enhances vaccine response—this study found zero link to antibodies, the gold standard for vaccine effectiveness.
Practical Takeaways
Don’t take vitamin D supplements solely to boost flu vaccine effectiveness.
Publication
Journal
Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics
Year
2016
Authors
S. Sadarangani, I. Ovsyannikova, Krista M. Goergen, D. Grill, G. Poland
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Claims (3)
People aged 50 to 74 who have high or low levels of vitamin D in their blood before getting the flu shot tend to have about the same level of antibody response after the shot—vitamin D doesn’t seem to make a difference.
People aged 50 to 74 who have a little more vitamin D in their blood before getting the flu shot tend to have a slightly stronger immune cell response to the vaccine a few weeks later — but the connection is very small.
Scientists found that three tiny differences in a person’s DNA, all in the same gene, are linked to how much vitamin D they naturally have in their body when they’re healthy and between 50 and 74 years old.