With the Spare The Air alerts in effect thru Friday October 2 in the Bay Area due to the smoke from the Glass Fires in Napa and Sonoma Counties, this is a great time to support your respiratory health. There’s a vitamin you can take that reduces your risk of upper respiratory tract infections, plus has the added benefit that it was recently shouted out by the nation’s COVID expert Dr. Anthony Fauci as being what he takes to boost his immune system.
Dr Fauci said recently in an Instagram interview with Jennifer Garner, that he takes vitamin D supplements because if you are deficient in vitamin D that has an impact on your susceptibility to infection.
If you have darker skin you might be more prone to vitamin D deficiency since melanin can slow the process of producing vitamin D. Please talk to your doctor it could be extra important for you to take a vitamin D supplement.
Your doctor might suggest getting your vitamin D level tested. I’ve done that so many times and usually I come up low unless I’ve been totally conscious about taking my vitamin D. Usually I tell my doctor I definitely will get on that, and forget the second I leave the office! Now I’m trying to be diligent about my vitamin D. The National Institutes Of Health recommend 600 IUs for anybody between 1 and 70 years old 800 IUs (international units) for anybody over 70.
If you want to get started with your vitamin D, The Mayo Clinic says 1,000 to 2,000 IUs daily “should help people achieve an adequate blood level of vitamin D”.
I’ve seen reports on the internet (translation: take with a grain of salt) that Dr. Fauci takes 6,000 IUs daily. I personally just got one from Amazon that’s 5,000 IUs. Even if you take the smallest recommended amount, (600 IUs) it’s probably a good idea to make vitamin D a daily habit!