Vitamin D disappoints in trial for infant diarrhea

By Kathleen Raven NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Heavy supplementation of vitamin D did not reduce diarrheal illnesses among children aged three and younger in a large trial conducted in Kabul, Afghanistan. The results are disappointing in light of a body of research that has consistently linked high vitamin D levels to improved immune system function and deficiency to a higher risk of infectious diseases, the researchers write in the journal Pediatrics. “It was thought that vitamin D supplementation would help in the prevention of diarrheal illnesses,” lead author Dr. …