Vitamin D Crucial for Immune System

COPENHAGENVitamin D is crucial to activating the bodys immune defenses to help people fight off serious, life-threatening infections, according to new research from the University of Copenhagen.

For T cells to detect and kill foreign pathogens such as clumps of bacteria or deadly viruses, the cells must first be triggered into action and transform from inactive and harmless immune cells into killer cells that are primed to seek out and destroy all traces of a foreign pathogen. The researchers found that the T cells rely on vitamin D in order to activate and they would remain dormant, naive to the possibility of threat if vitamin D is lacking in the blood.

Scientists have known for a long time that vitamin D is important for calcium absorption and the vitamin has also been implicated in diseases such as cancer and multiple sclerosis, but what we didn't realize is how crucial vitamin D is for actually activating the immune system, which we know now, said the lead researcher.

Most vitamin D is produced as a natural byproduct of the skin's exposure to sunlight. It also can be found in fish liver oil, eggs and fatty fish such as salmon, herring and mackerel or can be taken as a dietary supplement.