ReviewEpidemiology and infection2014
Does vitamin D protect against respiratory viral infections?
Review in Epidemiology and infection, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- Associations between sunshine and influenza or influenza-like illness, a systematic review and meta-analysis.International journal of biometeorology · 2026Pooled it
- Non-skeletal health effects of vitamin D supplementation: A systematic review on findings from meta-analyses summarizing trial data.PloS one · 2017Pooled it
- Vitamin D and Colorectal Cancer Prevention: Immunological Mechanisms, Inflammatory Pathways, and Nutritional Implications.Nutrients · 2025Review
- Prognostic value of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and malnutrition status on postoperative complications in patients following laryngectomy with neck dissection.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2025Article
- Unintended Consequences of COVID-19 Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) for Population Health and Health Inequalities.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Review
- Association of vitamin D status with COVID-19 disease severity in pediatric patients: A retrospective observational study.Health science reports · 2022Article
- The Role of Herbal and Nutritional Treatments in the Fight against COVID-19 and Other Respiratory Tract Infections.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Review
- A possible pathogenic correlation between neutrophil elastase (NE) enzyme and inflammation in the pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).International immunopharmacology · 2021Article
- A possible pathogenic role of Syndecan-1 in the pathogenesis of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).International immunopharmacology · 2021Article
- Vitamin DIranian journal of public health · 2020Article
- Potential Role of Vitamin D in the Elderly to Resist COVID-19 and to Slow Progression of Parkinson's Disease.Brain sciences · 2020Review
- Controversial Effects of Vitamin D and Related Genes on Viral Infections, Pathogenesis, and Treatment Outcomes.Nutrients · 2020Review
- Synergy of melanin and vitamin-D may play a fundamental role in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infections and halt COVID-19 by inactivating furin protease.Translational medicine communications · 2020Review
- Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Vitamin D on Human Immune Cells in the Context of Bacterial Infection.Nutrients · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The active form of vitamin D has effects on both innate and adaptive immune responses that may influence the outcome in many infectious diseases. Observational studies conclusively show that a low vitamin D status is associated with an increased occurrence of respiratory viral infections, which globally represent significant health and financial burdens. However, no consistent protective effects are evident in prospective clinical trials carried out to date where vitamin D was provided as a dietary supplement, except possibly in cases where the starting vitamin D status of the individual was considered deficient. Thus far, vitamin D has not been found to enhance the immune response to vaccines. The design of future prospective clinical trials assessing a role for vitamin D in respiratory viral infections requires very careful planning to avoid the uncertainties associated with the data available currently.
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.