{"id":221067,"date":"2017-02-15T18:30:02","date_gmt":"2017-02-15T23:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/?p=221067"},"modified":"2017-02-22T11:26:56","modified_gmt":"2017-02-22T16:26:56","slug":"study-confirms-vitamin-d-protects-against-cold-and-flu","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2017\/02\/study-confirms-vitamin-d-protects-against-cold-and-flu\/","title":{"rendered":"Study confirms vitamin D protects against colds and flu"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\n\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tHealth\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\n\t\t

\n\t\tStudy confirms vitamin D protects against colds and flu\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

\n\t\tSue McGreevey and Mike Morrison\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\t\tMGH Public Affairs\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/address>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t

\n\t\t\tDaily or weekly dose had greatest benefit for those with significant deficiency\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/header>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\t\t

A new global collaborative study has confirmed that vitamin D supplementation can help protect against acute respiratory infections. The study, a participant data meta-analysis of 25 randomized controlled trials including more than 11,000 participants, has been published online in The BMJ.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost people understand that vitamin D is critical for bone and muscle health,\u201d said Carlos Camargo of the Department of Emergency Medicine<\/a> at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the study\u2019s senior author. \u201cOur analysis has also found that it helps the body fight acute respiratory infection, which is responsible for millions of deaths globally each year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several observational studies, which track participants over time without assigning a specific treatment, have associated low vitamin D levels with greater susceptibility to acute respiratory infections. A number of clinical trials have been conducted to investigate the protective ability of vitamin D supplementation, but while some found a protective effect, others did not. Meta-analyses of these trials, which aggregate data from several studies that may have different designs or participant qualifications, also had conflicting results.<\/p>\n

To resolve these discrepancies, the research team \u2014 led by Adrian Martineau from Queen Mary University of London<\/a> \u2014 conducted an individual participant data meta-analysis of trials in more than a dozen countries, including the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. While traditional meta-analyses compare average data from all participants in each study, individual participant data meta-analysis separates out the data from each individual participant, producing what could be considered a higher-resolution analysis of the data from all studies.<\/p>\n

The investigators found that daily or weekly supplementation had the greatest benefit for individuals with the most significant vitamin D deficiency (blood levels below 10 mg\/dl) \u2014 cutting their risk of respiratory infection in half \u2014 and that all participants experienced some beneficial effects from regular vitamin D supplementation. Administering occasional high doses of vitamin D did not produce significant benefits.<\/p>\n

\u201cAcute respiratory infections are responsible for millions of emergency department visits in the United States,\u201d said Camargo, who is a professor of emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School. \u201cThese results could have a major impact on our health system and also support efforts to fortify foods with vitamin D, especially in populations with high levels of vitamin D deficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n

The study was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Health Research (U.K.).<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Researchers find vitamin D helps the body fight acute respiratory infection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105622744,"featured_media":221078,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"gz_ga_pageviews":189,"gz_ga_lastupdated":"2025-02-24 16:05","document_color_palette":null,"author":"Sue McGreevey and Mike Morrison","affiliation":"MGH Public Affairs","_category_override":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39644],"tags":[37820,13465,15922,23037,37821,37819,35371],"gazette-formats":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-221067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-cold","tag-flu","tag-harvard-medical-school","tag-massachusetts-general-hospital","tag-respiratory-infections","tag-the-bmj","tag-vitamin-d"],"yoast_head":"\nStudy confirms vitamin D protects against colds and flu — Harvard Gazette<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Researchers find vitamin D helps the body fight acute respiratory infection.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2017\/02\/study-confirms-vitamin-d-protects-against-cold-and-flu\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Study confirms vitamin D protects against colds and flu — Harvard Gazette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Researchers find vitamin D helps the body fight acute respiratory infection.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2017\/02\/study-confirms-vitamin-d-protects-against-cold-and-flu\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Harvard Gazette\" \/>\n<meta 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class=\"wp-block-post-author\">\n\t\t\t<address class=\"wp-block-post-author__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"author wp-block-post-author__name\">\n\t\tSue McGreevey and Mike Morrison\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-post-author__byline\">\n\t\t\tMGH Public Affairs\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/address>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<time class=\"article-header__date\" datetime=\"2017-02-15\">\n\t\t\tFebruary 15, 2017\t\t<\/time>\n\n\t\t<span class=\"article-header__reading-time\">\n\t\t\t2 min read\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-header__subheading wp-block-heading\">\n\t\t\tDaily or weekly dose had greatest benefit for those with significant deficiency\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\n<\/header>\n"},"2":{"blockName":"core\/group","attrs":{"templateLock":false,"metadata":{"name":"Article content"},"align":"wide","layout":{"type":"constrained","justifyContent":"center"},"tagName":"div","lock":[],"className":"","style":[],"backgroundColor":"","textColor":"","gradient":"","fontSize":"","fontFamily":"","borderColor":"","ariaLabel":"","anchor":""},"innerBlocks":[{"blockName":"core\/freeform","attrs":{"content":"","lock":[],"metadata":[]},"innerBlocks":[],"innerHTML":"\n\t\t<p>A new global collaborative study has confirmed that vitamin D supplementation can help protect against acute respiratory infections. The study, a participant data meta-analysis of 25 randomized controlled trials including more than 11,000 participants, has been published online in The BMJ.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost people understand that vitamin D is critical for bone and muscle health,\u201d said Carlos Camargo of the <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.proofpoint.com\/v2\/url?u=http-3A__www.massgeneral.org_emergencymedicine_&d=CwMFAg&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=DnS34uF8FMox2vVhGrzlX28MWrSDyn-iGaJF58zdbu4&m=8uzbadgHjjtahVaE-pu7aJGuMKDqq2ym6Ry2w4vVLkM&s=kevcXxCHlOZR6Squ13sOm8j2zBGMLXVcZPyURjXuDEA&e=\">Department of Emergency Medicine<\/a> at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the study\u2019s senior author. \u201cOur analysis has also found that it helps the body fight acute respiratory infection, which is responsible for millions of deaths globally each year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Several observational studies, which track participants over time without assigning a specific treatment, have associated low vitamin D levels with greater susceptibility to acute respiratory infections. A number of clinical trials have been conducted to investigate the protective ability of vitamin D supplementation, but while some found a protective effect, others did not. Meta-analyses of these trials, which aggregate data from several studies that may have different designs or participant qualifications, also had conflicting results.<\/p>\n<p>To resolve these discrepancies, the research team \u2014 led by Adrian Martineau from <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.proofpoint.com\/v2\/url?u=http-3A__www.qmul.ac.uk_&d=CwMFAg&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=DnS34uF8FMox2vVhGrzlX28MWrSDyn-iGaJF58zdbu4&m=8uzbadgHjjtahVaE-pu7aJGuMKDqq2ym6Ry2w4vVLkM&s=o53USEotyJSlEicC9fmygpEEzKpjIoKDuGEslkLapPo&e=\">Queen Mary University of London<\/a> \u2014 conducted an individual participant data meta-analysis of trials in more than a dozen countries, including the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. While traditional meta-analyses compare average data from all participants in each study, individual participant data meta-analysis separates out the data from each individual participant, producing what could be considered a higher-resolution analysis of the data from all studies.<\/p>\n<p>The investigators found that daily or weekly supplementation had the greatest benefit for individuals with the most significant vitamin D deficiency (blood levels below 10 mg\/dl) \u2014 cutting their risk of respiratory infection in half \u2014 and that all participants experienced some beneficial effects from regular vitamin D supplementation. Administering occasional high doses of vitamin D did not produce significant benefits.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAcute respiratory infections are responsible for millions of emergency department visits in the United States,\u201d said Camargo, who is a professor of emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School. \u201cThese results could have a major impact on our health system and also support efforts to fortify foods with vitamin D, especially in populations with high levels of vitamin D deficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The study was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Health Research (U.K.).<\/p>\n","innerContent":["\n\t\t<p>A new global collaborative study has confirmed that vitamin D supplementation can help protect against acute respiratory infections. The study, a participant data meta-analysis of 25 randomized controlled trials including more than 11,000 participants, has been published online in The BMJ.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost people understand that vitamin D is critical for bone and muscle health,\u201d said Carlos Camargo of the <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.proofpoint.com\/v2\/url?u=http-3A__www.massgeneral.org_emergencymedicine_&d=CwMFAg&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=DnS34uF8FMox2vVhGrzlX28MWrSDyn-iGaJF58zdbu4&m=8uzbadgHjjtahVaE-pu7aJGuMKDqq2ym6Ry2w4vVLkM&s=kevcXxCHlOZR6Squ13sOm8j2zBGMLXVcZPyURjXuDEA&e=\">Department of Emergency Medicine<\/a> at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the study\u2019s senior author. \u201cOur analysis has also found that it helps the body fight acute respiratory infection, which is responsible for millions of deaths globally each year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Several observational studies, which track participants over time without assigning a specific treatment, have associated low vitamin D levels with greater susceptibility to acute respiratory infections. A number of clinical trials have been conducted to investigate the protective ability of vitamin D supplementation, but while some found a protective effect, others did not. Meta-analyses of these trials, which aggregate data from several studies that may have different designs or participant qualifications, also had conflicting results.<\/p>\n<p>To resolve these discrepancies, the research team \u2014 led by Adrian Martineau from <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.proofpoint.com\/v2\/url?u=http-3A__www.qmul.ac.uk_&d=CwMFAg&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=DnS34uF8FMox2vVhGrzlX28MWrSDyn-iGaJF58zdbu4&m=8uzbadgHjjtahVaE-pu7aJGuMKDqq2ym6Ry2w4vVLkM&s=o53USEotyJSlEicC9fmygpEEzKpjIoKDuGEslkLapPo&e=\">Queen Mary University of London<\/a> \u2014 conducted an individual participant data meta-analysis of trials in more than a dozen countries, including the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. While traditional meta-analyses compare average data from all participants in each study, individual participant data meta-analysis separates out the data from each individual participant, producing what could be considered a higher-resolution analysis of the data from all studies.<\/p>\n<p>The investigators found that daily or weekly supplementation had the greatest benefit for individuals with the most significant vitamin D deficiency (blood levels below 10 mg\/dl) \u2014 cutting their risk of respiratory infection in half \u2014 and that all participants experienced some beneficial effects from regular vitamin D supplementation. Administering occasional high doses of vitamin D did not produce significant benefits.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAcute respiratory infections are responsible for millions of emergency department visits in the United States,\u201d said Camargo, who is a professor of emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School. \u201cThese results could have a major impact on our health system and also support efforts to fortify foods with vitamin D, especially in populations with high levels of vitamin D deficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The study was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Health Research (U.K.).<\/p>\n"],"rendered":"\n\t\t<p>A new global collaborative study has confirmed that vitamin D supplementation can help protect against acute respiratory infections. The study, a participant data meta-analysis of 25 randomized controlled trials including more than 11,000 participants, has been published online in The BMJ.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost people understand that vitamin D is critical for bone and muscle health,\u201d said Carlos Camargo of the <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.proofpoint.com\/v2\/url?u=http-3A__www.massgeneral.org_emergencymedicine_&d=CwMFAg&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=DnS34uF8FMox2vVhGrzlX28MWrSDyn-iGaJF58zdbu4&m=8uzbadgHjjtahVaE-pu7aJGuMKDqq2ym6Ry2w4vVLkM&s=kevcXxCHlOZR6Squ13sOm8j2zBGMLXVcZPyURjXuDEA&e=\">Department of Emergency Medicine<\/a> at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the study\u2019s senior author. \u201cOur analysis has also found that it helps the body fight acute respiratory infection, which is responsible for millions of deaths globally each year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Several observational studies, which track participants over time without assigning a specific treatment, have associated low vitamin D levels with greater susceptibility to acute respiratory infections. A number of clinical trials have been conducted to investigate the protective ability of vitamin D supplementation, but while some found a protective effect, others did not. Meta-analyses of these trials, which aggregate data from several studies that may have different designs or participant qualifications, also had conflicting results.<\/p>\n<p>To resolve these discrepancies, the research team \u2014 led by Adrian Martineau from <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.proofpoint.com\/v2\/url?u=http-3A__www.qmul.ac.uk_&d=CwMFAg&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=DnS34uF8FMox2vVhGrzlX28MWrSDyn-iGaJF58zdbu4&m=8uzbadgHjjtahVaE-pu7aJGuMKDqq2ym6Ry2w4vVLkM&s=o53USEotyJSlEicC9fmygpEEzKpjIoKDuGEslkLapPo&e=\">Queen Mary University of London<\/a> \u2014 conducted an individual participant data meta-analysis of trials in more than a dozen countries, including the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. While traditional meta-analyses compare average data from all participants in each study, individual participant data meta-analysis separates out the data from each individual participant, producing what could be considered a higher-resolution analysis of the data from all studies.<\/p>\n<p>The investigators found that daily or weekly supplementation had the greatest benefit for individuals with the most significant vitamin D deficiency (blood levels below 10 mg\/dl) \u2014 cutting their risk of respiratory infection in half \u2014 and that all participants experienced some beneficial effects from regular vitamin D supplementation. Administering occasional high doses of vitamin D did not produce significant benefits.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAcute respiratory infections are responsible for millions of emergency department visits in the United States,\u201d said Camargo, who is a professor of emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School. \u201cThese results could have a major impact on our health system and also support efforts to fortify foods with vitamin D, especially in populations with high levels of vitamin D deficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The study was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Health Research (U.K.).<\/p>\n"}],"innerHTML":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide\">\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n","innerContent":["\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide\">\n\n","\n\n<\/div>\n"],"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-content-justification-center is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n\n\n\t\t<p>A new global collaborative study has confirmed that vitamin D supplementation can help protect against acute respiratory infections. The study, a participant data meta-analysis of 25 randomized controlled trials including more than 11,000 participants, has been published online in The BMJ.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMost people understand that vitamin D is critical for bone and muscle health,\u201d said Carlos Camargo of the <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.proofpoint.com\/v2\/url?u=http-3A__www.massgeneral.org_emergencymedicine_&d=CwMFAg&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=DnS34uF8FMox2vVhGrzlX28MWrSDyn-iGaJF58zdbu4&m=8uzbadgHjjtahVaE-pu7aJGuMKDqq2ym6Ry2w4vVLkM&s=kevcXxCHlOZR6Squ13sOm8j2zBGMLXVcZPyURjXuDEA&e=\">Department of Emergency Medicine<\/a> at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), the study\u2019s senior author. \u201cOur analysis has also found that it helps the body fight acute respiratory infection, which is responsible for millions of deaths globally each year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Several observational studies, which track participants over time without assigning a specific treatment, have associated low vitamin D levels with greater susceptibility to acute respiratory infections. A number of clinical trials have been conducted to investigate the protective ability of vitamin D supplementation, but while some found a protective effect, others did not. Meta-analyses of these trials, which aggregate data from several studies that may have different designs or participant qualifications, also had conflicting results.<\/p>\n<p>To resolve these discrepancies, the research team \u2014 led by Adrian Martineau from <a href=\"https:\/\/urldefense.proofpoint.com\/v2\/url?u=http-3A__www.qmul.ac.uk_&d=CwMFAg&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=DnS34uF8FMox2vVhGrzlX28MWrSDyn-iGaJF58zdbu4&m=8uzbadgHjjtahVaE-pu7aJGuMKDqq2ym6Ry2w4vVLkM&s=o53USEotyJSlEicC9fmygpEEzKpjIoKDuGEslkLapPo&e=\">Queen Mary University of London<\/a> \u2014 conducted an individual participant data meta-analysis of trials in more than a dozen countries, including the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. While traditional meta-analyses compare average data from all participants in each study, individual participant data meta-analysis separates out the data from each individual participant, producing what could be considered a higher-resolution analysis of the data from all studies.<\/p>\n<p>The investigators found that daily or weekly supplementation had the greatest benefit for individuals with the most significant vitamin D deficiency (blood levels below 10 mg\/dl) \u2014 cutting their risk of respiratory infection in half \u2014 and that all participants experienced some beneficial effects from regular vitamin D supplementation. Administering occasional high doses of vitamin D did not produce significant benefits.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAcute respiratory infections are responsible for millions of emergency department visits in the United States,\u201d said Camargo, who is a professor of emergency medicine at Harvard Medical School. \u201cThese results could have a major impact on our health system and also support efforts to fortify foods with vitamin D, especially in populations with high levels of vitamin D deficiency.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The study was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Health Research (U.K.).<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n"}},"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":115924,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2012\/08\/vitamin-ds-impact-on-infection\/","url_meta":{"origin":221067,"position":0},"title":"Vitamin D\u2019s impact on infection","author":"harvardgazette","date":"August 20, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"A study led by Harvard researchers of Mongolian schoolchildren supports the possibility that daily vitamin D supplementation can reduce the risk of respiratory infections in winter.","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/072512_stonybrook_0662.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/072512_stonybrook_0662.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/072512_stonybrook_0662.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":70040,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2010\/12\/infants-need-their-d\/","url_meta":{"origin":221067,"position":1},"title":"Newborns need for vitamin D","author":"harvardgazette","date":"December 27, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The vitamin D levels of newborn babies appear to predict their risk of respiratory infections during infancy and the occurrence of wheezing during early childhood, but not the risk of developing asthma. Results of a study in the January 2011 issue of Pediatrics support the theory that widespread vitamin D\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/babies605.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/babies605.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/babies605.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":337502,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2022\/01\/vitamin-d-reduced-rate-of-autoimmune-diseases-by-22\/","url_meta":{"origin":221067,"position":2},"title":"Vitamin D supplements lower risk of autoimmune disease, researchers say","author":"harvardgazette","date":"January 26, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A new study finds vitamin D supplements with or without omega-3s decreased the risk of autoimmune diseases by 22 percent compared to placebo.","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Vitamin D.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/michele-blackwell-2500-unsplash.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/michele-blackwell-2500-unsplash.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/michele-blackwell-2500-unsplash.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/michele-blackwell-2500-unsplash.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":165033,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2015\/01\/vitamin-d-protects-some-against-colorectal-cancer\/","url_meta":{"origin":221067,"position":3},"title":"Vitamin D protects some against colorectal cancer","author":"harvardgazette","date":"January 15, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"A new study by investigators at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute demonstrates that vitamin D can protect some people with colorectal cancer by perking up the immune system\u2019s vigilance against tumor cells.","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/istock_vitamind605.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/istock_vitamind605.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/istock_vitamind605.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":330302,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2021\/08\/vitamin-d-may-protect-against-young-onset-colorectal-cancer\/","url_meta":{"origin":221067,"position":4},"title":"Shining new light on vitamin D and cancer","author":"Sam Seifman","date":"August 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Consuming higher amounts of vitamin D \u2014 mainly from dietary sources \u2014 may help protect against developing young-onset colorectal cancer or precancerous colon polyps, according to the first study to show such an association.","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Chicken, fish, dairy.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/iStock-fish.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/iStock-fish.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/iStock-fish.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/iStock-fish.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":352859,"url":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/story\/2023\/01\/weight-plays-role-in-vitamin-ds-health-benefits\/","url_meta":{"origin":221067,"position":5},"title":"Vitamin D benefits linked to body weight","author":"harvardgazette","date":"January 17, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Researchers have found a correlation between vitamin D\u2019s positive health outcomes and a person\u2019s body mass index (BMI).","rel":"","context":"In "Health"","block_context":{"text":"Health","link":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/section\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Vitamin D capsule against blue sky with sunshine.","src":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/iStock-vitamin-d.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/iStock-vitamin-d.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/iStock-vitamin-d.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/iStock-vitamin-d.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/105622744"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221067"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":221109,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221067\/revisions\/221109"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/221078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221067"},{"taxonomy":"format","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/gazette-formats?post=221067"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.harvard.edu\/gazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=221067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}