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This Article Full Text (Publish Ahead of Print[PDF]) All Versions of this Article: 91/5/1255    most recent ajcn.2009.29094v1 Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Google Scholar Articles by Urashima, M. Articles by Ida, H. PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Urashima, M. Articles by Ida, H. Agricola Articles by Urashima, M. Articles by Ida, H.

Randomized trial of vitamin D supplementation to prevent seasonal influenza A in schoolchildren^1,2,3

¹ From the Division of Molecular Epidemiology (MU)the Department of Pediatrics (MU YWHI) Jikei University School of Medicine Minato-ku Tokyo Japan; the Department of Pediatrics Fuji City General Hospital Shizuoka Japan (TS); the Department of Pediatrics Sado General Hospital Sado City Niigata Japan (MO);the Department of Pediatrics Kanagawa Rehabilitation Center Kanagawa Japan (MK).

² Supported by the Jikei University School of Medicine.

³ Address correspondence to M Urashima, Division of Molecular Epidemiology, Jikei University School of Medicine, Nishi-shimbashi 3-25-8, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-8461, Japan. E-mail: urashima{at}jikei.ac.jp.

ABSTRACT

Background: To our knowledge, no rigorously designed clinical trials have evaluated the relation between vitamin D and physician-diagnosed seasonal influenza.

Objective: We investigated the effect of vitamin D supplements on the incidence of seasonal influenza A in schoolchildren.

Design: From December 2008 through March 2009, we conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial comparing vitamin D₃ supplements (1200 IU/d) with placebo in schoolchildren. The primary outcome was the incidence of influenza A, diagnosed with influenza antigen testing with a nasopharyngeal swab specimen.

Results: Influenza A occurred in 18 of 167 (10.8%) children in the vitamin D₃ group compared with 31 of 167 (18.6%) children in the placebo group [relative risk (RR), 0.58; 95% CI: 0.34, 0.99; P = 0.04]. The reduction in influenza A was more prominent in children who had not been taking other vitamin D supplements (RR: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.17, 0.79; P = 0.006) and who started nursery school after age 3 y (RR: 0.36; 95% CI: 0.17, 0.78; P = 0.005). In children with a previous diagnosis of asthma, asthma attacks as a secondary outcome occurred in 2 children receiving vitamin D₃ compared with 12 children receiving placebo (RR: 0.17; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.73; P = 0.006).

Conclusion: This study suggests that vitamin D₃ supplementation during the winter may reduce the incidence of influenza A, especially in specific subgroups of schoolchildren. This trial was registered at https://center.umin.ac.jp as UMIN000001373.

Received for publication December 17, 2009. Accepted for publication February 11, 2010.

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