[ad_1]
- A new study that looked at 216 people with COVID-19 found that 80 percent did not have adequate levels of vitamin D in their blood.
- The study also found that people who had both COVID-19 and lower levels of vitamin D also had higher amounts of inflammatory markers like ferritin and D-dimer, which have been linked to poor COVID-19 outcomes.
- A different study found that COVID-19 patients who had adequate levels of vitamin D had a 51.5 percent lower risk of dying from the disease and a significantly reduced risk of complications.
- Medical experts theorize that maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D may help reduce risk or aid recovery from severe COVID-19 in some people, although more evidence is needed.
As part of the new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, the researchers analyzed 216 COVID-19 patients at a hospital in Spain. The scientists matched the patients with controls from another data set.
Of all the patients, 82.2 percent were vitamin D deficient.
In the research, men had lower levels of vitamin D compared to women.
People who had COVID-19 and lower levels of vitamin D also had higher inflammatory markers, such as ferritin and D-dimer. Those have been
People with vitamin D deficiency had a higher prevalence of hypertension and cardiovascular disease. They also had longer hospital stays for COVID-19, the study showed.
Comorbidities such as hypertension, diabetes and obesity are associated with low vitamin D levels, said Dr. Hans Konrad Biesalski, a professor at the University of Hohenheim who evaluated vitamin D and COVID-19.
“It appears that patients with a deficient vitamin D status may have more severe COVID-19,” he told Healthline. But the new study found no such relationship.
However, in addition to the correlation between vitamin D levels and COVID-19 risk, many people are looking at how it can protect people or help them recover from the disease.
“One approach is to identify and treat vitamin D deficiency, especially in high-risk individuals such as the elderly, patients with comorbidities, and residents of nursing homes, who are the main target population for COVID-19,” said the co-author. of the study. José L. Hernández, PhD, from the University of Cantabria in Santander, Spain.
He said that people at high risk for COVID-19 – older adults, people with underlying conditions, and people in nursing homes – can be treated with vitamin D.
“Vitamin D treatment should be recommended in COVID-19 patients with low levels of vitamin D circulating in the blood, as this approach could have beneficial effects on both the musculoskeletal and immune systems,” Hernandez said in a statement.
Many Americans are deficient in vitamin D, according to previous research. It is a global health problem,
Should You Monitor Your Vitamin D Levels? Is taking a supplement enough to protect you, or at least to reduce your chances of getting COVID-19?
Dr. Michael F. Holick, who has researched vitamin D and directs the Bone Health Clinic at Boston University, said the Endocrine Society Practice Guidelines do not recommend that everyone should be screened.
It’s reasonable to monitor vitamin D levels in people with fat malabsorption syndrome, people with obesity, or people who have other medical problems, Holick told Healthline.
The Endocrine Society recommends that babies take between 400 and 1000 IU a day, children between 600 and 1000 IU a day, and adults between 600 and 2000 IU a day. The amount needed depends on your current levels or if you are trying to increase them.
Obese adults may need 2 to 3 times more, Holick noted.
If the vitamin D level is low, supplementation may be helpful, Biesalski agreed.
There are several publications that have suggested that vitamin D deficiency is associated with an increased risk of upper respiratory tract infections, including influenza and coronavirus, Holick explained.
“This was seen across all 50 states and across all ethnicities,” Holick said.
In
For people with COVID-19, Holick said there is no downside to increasing vitamin D intake unless a person has a rare disorder, such as sarcoidosis and other granulomatous disorders.
Based on the literature and their own experience, it is reasonable for children and adults to take an adequate amount of vitamin D as recommended by the Endocrine Society to help reduce the risk of contracting the virus, as well as reduce morbidity and mortality if it is a child or adult. develops COVID-19, he said.
We don’t know if vitamin D has a preventive effect on the body, said Dr. Steven Abrams, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Texas at Austin.
“A very low level of vitamin D has many negative consequences and this could be the case for COVID-19, but that is not the same as saying that routine vitamin D supplementation will prevent serious infections,” he told Healthline.
More research is needed to better understand the link between vitamin D and COVID-19.
There is already evidence that getting enough vitamin D regulates the immune system for optimal health. Holick said it would be interesting to know if taking vitamin D with the vaccine would improve the effectiveness of the vaccine.
Biesalski would like to know how a balance of vitamin A and D would affect the success of the vaccine, as has been shown for influenza and measles, he said.
