VITAMIN D and COVID-19
Recently, a news anchor on a major TV network recommended taking vitamin D to help protect oneself from COVID-19. On December 7th 2020, an open letter was sent to all governments, public health officials, doctors, and healthcare workers saying that research shows low vitamin D levels almost certainly promote COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. This letter called for immediate widespread increased vitamin D intake. This letter was signed by over 100 authorities in various fields of study and included many medical doctors and other healthcare professionals. This letter can be viewed at https://vitamindforall.org/letter.html.
In a study published November 19th 2020, one hundred and fifty-four patients with confirmed COVID-19 were tested for vitamin D levels. Ninety-one were asymptomatic (experiencing no symptoms) while sixty-three patients were severely ill and had required ICU admission. The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency was 31.86% in the asymptomatic group whereas in the severely ill group there was a 96.82% deficiency in vitamin D.
The authors of this study concluded that the intensity of inflammatory response is higher in vitamin D deficient COVID-19 patients and leads to an increase in morbidity and mortality in COVID-19 patients who are deficient in vitamin D. These authors recommend administration of vitamin D supplements to populations at risk for COVID-19. This study can be viewed at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-77093-z.
In a recent study posted in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, researchers studied 216 COVID-19 patients in a hospital in Spain. Of the 216 patients, 82.2 percent were deficient in vitamin D. Men had lower vitamin D levels compared to women. Those with COVID-19 and lower vitamin D levels also had higher inflammatory markers which have been linked to poor COVID-19 outcomes. This study also showed that those with vitamin D deficiency had a higher prevalence of hypertension and cardiovascular disease and had longer hospital stays for COVID -19 than those not having these conditions.
In a December 11th 2020 study posted on Medscape, vitamin D deficiency was associated with a 3.7 fold increase in dying from COVID-19. Nearly 60% of patients with COVID-19 were found to be deficient in vitamin D upon being hospitalized. Men who were in advanced stages of COVID-19 pneumonia showed the greatest vitamin D deficiency.
In an online publication entitled “Vitamin D and COVID-19: evidence and recommendations for supplementation,” it was reported that there is a very strong association between vitamin D deficiency and obesity. Overweight people are consistently found to be deficient in vitamin D. This publication also showed that people of darker skin are more likely to be vitamin D deficient. This report provided information on how vitamin D protects against lung damage due to viral infection. This publication can be accessed at https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.201912.
A search at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?cond=vitamin+D%2C+covid-19&term=&cntry=&state=&city=&dist= reveals there are currently close to 40 ongoing research projects going on around the world with vitamin D and COVID-19. These projects are being done to determine the role of vitamin D in both the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. This should inform us of the extent to which vitamin D is being seen as an important dynamic in the fight against COVID-19.
At Milk ‘N Honey we have been recommending increasing vitamin D intake for a number of years. I have previously published articles to this website showing the benefits of vitamin D. These articles can be accessed at Understanding Vitamin D and Vitamin D and the flu.
At Milk ‘N Honey we carry supplemental vitamin D3 (the recommended type of vitamin D) at potency levels of 1000, 2000, 5000 and 10,000 IU’s (international units) per softgel. The general recommendation by health care professionals is to take 2000 IU’s per day. However, some health care professionals are recommending much higher daily dosages during the COVID-19 pandemic.