Global research is suggesting that low levels of Vitamin D may increase risk of COVID-19 severity. This preliminary research does not mean you should take mega-doses of Vitamin D! That’s not good for you.
But it does suggest you should check with your doctor about your Vitamin D levels.
… the data suggests that [Vitamin D] is also likely to reduce serious COVID-19 complications.
Association between vitamin D levels and mortality from COVID-19. Trinity College Dublin News, 11 May 2020. Read the journal article.
🔬 From Northwestern University – 07 May
Vitamin D may suppress cytokine storm in COVID19 patients. Data from 10 countries suggest patients with vitamin D deficiency were 2x as likely to experience severe complications, including death.
“Not only does vitamin D enhance our innate immune systems, it also prevents our immune systems from becoming dangerously overactive.” Analysis suggests Vitamin D could reduce the mortality rate by as much as half – researcher Vadim Backman.
The 10 countries: China, France, Germany, Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States.
Vitamin D appears to play role in COVID-19 mortality rates. Northwestern University Now, 07 May. Read the submitted journal article at medRxIV.
Analysis of 176 elderly (least 60 years) patients for Vitamin D levels
“awareness of Vitamin D benefits in fighting infections, such as COVID-19, should be disseminated especially to the vulnerable elderly population”
Vitamin D Level of Mild and Severe Elderly Cases of COVID-19: A Preliminary Report Read the research report at SSRN.
This was a retrospective cohort study.
“Results revealed that majority of the death cases were male and older and had pre-existing condition and below normal Vitamin D serum level”
Patterns of COVID-19 Mortality and Vitamin D: An Indonesian Study. Read the research report at SSRN. Image from LI.
This was an early and small sample. However, it is very suggestive.
- Vitamin D insufficiency in ICU patients: 84.6%.
- In floor patients: 57.1%
“This small, retrospective observational study suggests a link between [Vitamin D insufficiency] and severe COVID-19.”
Vitamin D Insufficiency is Prevalent in Severe COVID-19. Read the proposed journal article at medRxIV.
“Of 49 patients with mild symptoms of Covid-19 in three hospitals in southern Asian countries, only two had low levels of vitamin D; of 104 patients with critical or severe symptoms, only four did not have low levels of vitamin D.”
Who is at risk from low levels of Vitamin D?
- dark-skinned people (pigment blocks sunlight)
- obese people (the vitamin gets sequestered in fat cells)
- type-2 diabetics (vitamin D improves the body’s sensitivity to insulin);
- the elderly
- city dwellers
From Matt Ridley’s May article in The Telegraph (on his blog).
Read the research article at SSRN.
The current research that links Vitamin D with symptom severity rests on a foundation of research that illustrates how Vitamin D supports the immune system.
Researchers reviewed 25 randomized controlled trials (total 11,321 participants, aged 0 to 95 years). They determined that Vitamin D supplementation was “safe”, and it “protected against acute respiratory tract infection overall.”
Read the journal article: Vitamin D supplementation to prevent acute respiratory tract infections: systematic review and meta-analysis of individual participant data. BMJ, 15 February 2017.
🔬 Research from September 2008
The case for Vitamin D supplements, Harvard Medical School.
First published @
COVID-19 day 114 : 📈 1,390,746 cases; 84,136 deaths : 13 May 2020
