We suggest that improvements in adaptive immunity from increased vaccination of the aged are inadequate to compensate for declines in innate immunity the aged suffered over that same time.

Next, take a look at this graph, as well as at the third image at the top of the front page;

vit-d-flu

What this study [5] tells us is that taking vitamin D reduced the number of flu and virus episodes by at least two-thirds in this study. I couldn’t understand the graph at first, until I realised that the single darkest bar above Summer meant that when the subjects were taking 2000iu of vitamin D there was only one infection experienced by one person during the whole year — so, as expected, 2000iu was clearly better than 800iu.

Vitamin C

We’ve known for decades that vitamin C can reduce the risk of and the severity of viral infections. But just as for vitamin D, the dose is critical, and sometimes scientists have ignored this and used the wrong dose, guaranteeing negative results. One study that did things right found that 500mg of C a day cut the risk of catching a serious respiratory infection by 50% [6]; another found that 2000mg cut it by 85% [7].

Vitamin A

This is essential for immune functioning, and supplementing it reduces severity of measles, secondary infections in measles, diarrhoea, even malaria [8]. And surprising numbers of us are deficient [9]. It hasn’t been proved to work in influenza, but the body needs it alongside vitamin D, and my advice is to play safe. It may even make vaccinations work better [10].