Wondering what to eat for dinner tonight? Perhaps you should put salmon or other vitamin-D-rich fish such as herring or mackerel on your short list.
New research from the University of Copenhagen suggests that vitamin D activates your immune system's killer cells, known as T cells, in the fight against bacteria and viruses. Consequently, people who are deficient in vitamin D may have weaker immune systems.
The study results indicate that vitamin D holds potential beyond boosting the immune system. University of Copenhagen researcher Carsten Geisler, MD, PhD, explains in a release how the findings might help combat infectious diseases and global epidemics:
They will be of particular use when developing new vaccines, which work precisely on the basis of both training our immune systems to react and suppressing the body's natural defenses in situations where this is important-as is the case with organ transplants and autoimmune disease.
Previously: What's the deal with vitamin D?
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