Evidence map›Paper›PMID 24885201›Full record

Trial reportBMC infectious diseases2014

Vitamin D3 and gargling for the prevention of upper respiratory tract infections: a randomized controlled trial.

Emma C Goodall, Andrea C Granados, Kathy Luinstra, Eleanor Pullenayegum, Brenda L Coleman, Mark Loeb, Marek Smieja

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC infectious diseases, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01158560 (McFlu2 COLD3 Prevention), which is not on this map. Cited by 34 papers, 15 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
34citing papers in PubMed, 15 pooled it
3.0field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT01158560 phase3completednot on this map

McFlu2 COLD3 Prevention: A Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Double Blind Trial of Vitamin D and Health Advice for the Prevention of Upper Respiratory Tract Infections in McMaster University Students

TypeinterventionalSponsorSt. Joseph's Healthcare HamiltonRan2010 to 2011Enrolled600ConditionsUpper Respiratory Tract Infections, Rhinovirus, InfectionsArmscholecalciferol (vitamin D3), Gargling, Placebo
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

34 citing papers in PubMed, 15 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 78 citations in OpenAlex.

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  17. Vitamin D Supplementation and the Risk of Colds in Patients with Asthma.American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine · 2016
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.

Emma C Goodall
Andrea C Granados
Kathy Luinstra
Eleanor Pullenayegum
Brenda L Coleman
Mark Loeb
Marek SmiejaDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. smiejam@mcmaster.ca.
McMaster University · CAPopulation Health Research Institute · CASickKids Foundation · CASt. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton · CAUniversity of Toronto · CA

Funding

Canadian Institutes of Health Research OPP 86940
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWe undertook a 2X2 factorial, randomized controlled trial (RCT) to assess whether vitamin D3 supplementation (10,000 international units per week) versus placebo and gargling versus no gargling could prevent viral, clinical upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) in university students.

methodsWe randomized 600 students into 4 treatment arms: 1) vitamin D3 and gargling, 2) placebo and gargling, 3) vitamin D3 and no gargling, and 4) placebo and no gargling. Students completed weekly electronic surveys and submitted self-collected mid-turbinate nasal flocked swabs during September and October in 2010 or 2011. Symptomatic students also completed an electronic symptom diary. The primary and secondary outcomes were the occurrence of symptomatic clinical URTI and laboratory confirmed URTI respectively.

resultsOf 600 participants, 471 (78.5%) completed all surveys while 43 (7.2%) completed none; 150 (25.0%) reported clinical URTI. Seventy participants (23.3%) randomized to vitamin D3 reported clinical URTI compared to 80 (26.7%) randomized to placebo (RR:0.79, CI95:0.61-1.03, p = 0.09). Eighty-five participants (28.3%) randomized to gargling reported clinical URTI compared to 65 participants (21.7%) randomized to the no gargling arm (RR:1.3, CI95:0.92-1.57, p = 0.19). Laboratory testing identified 70 infections (46.7 per 100 URTIs). Vitamin D3 treatment was associated with a significantly lower risk for laboratory confirmed URTI (RR: 0.54, CI95:0.34-0.84, p = 0.007) and with a significantly lower mean viral load measured as log10 viral copies/mL (mean difference: -0.89, CI95: -1.7, -0.06, p = 0.04). Fewer students assigned to gargling experienced laboratory confirmed URTI, however this was not statistically significant (RR:0.82, CI95:0.53-1.26, p = 0.36).

conclusionsThese results suggest that vitamin D3 is a promising intervention for the prevention of URTI. Vitamin D3 significantly reduced the risk of laboratory confirmed URTI and may reduce the risk of clinical infections.

trial registrationCLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT01158560.

Indexed as

AdolescentBiomedical ResearchCholecalciferolDietary SupplementsFemaleHealth BehaviorHealthy VolunteersHumansMaleRespiratory Tract InfectionsRiskStudentsVitaminsYoung AdultCholecalciferolVitamins

Identifiers

PMID24885201
PMCPMC4041358
OpenAlexW1963831504

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.