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Black people with high levels of vitamin D may be less likely to get the coronavirus, research suggests.
The benefits of the so-called sun supplement have been debated since the outbreak emerged, and many experts are optimistic that the vitamin’s anti-inflammatory properties can prevent complications from infection.
In December 2020, the UK (Nice) National Institute for Excellence in Health and Care said that “there is currently not enough evidence to support taking vitamin D solely to prevent or treat COVID-19 [the disease caused by the coronavirus]”.
To better understand its potential benefits, scientists at the University of Chicago analyzed the vitamin D levels of more than 4,600 people up to 365 days before they were tested for the coronavirus.
Read more: Boris Johnson urged making vitamin D a strategy for coronavirus
The results reveal that black participants with “deficient” vitamin D were more than twice as likely to contract the infection as those with the highest levels.
However, this was not the case for whites, as previous studies suggested that blacks are more likely to have insufficient vitamin D.
Vitamin D “has various physiological effects,” affecting a person’s calcium regulation, bone density and immune response, the scientists wrote in the JAMA Network Open journal.
Previous studies have linked vitamin D supplementation with the reduction of respiratory viral infections.
Read more: Vitamin D is linked to reduced risk of death from coronavirus
Since its effect on the coronavirus is less clear, Chicago scientists analyzed tens of thousands of people, with an average age of 52, who were tested for the infection between March 3 and March 30. December 2020.
Participants also had their vitamin D levels measured up to 365 days before they were swabbed.
Vitamin D levels were grouped as less than 20 ng / mL – “poor”, 20 ng / mL to 29 ng / mL – “insufficient”, 30 ng / mL to 39 ng / mL, and 40 ng / mL or more.
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The results reveal that vitamin D levels were lowest among the more than 2,200 black participants, and more than a third (36%) are deficient compared to one in 10 (16%) of white individuals.
“Socioeconomic factors and structural inequalities clearly contribute” to the disparity, the scientists wrote.
“Biological susceptibility” may also play a role, as “lighter skin increases vitamin D production in response to sunlight.”
Black participants with vitamin D deficiency were more than twice as likely to test positive for the coronavirus as their counterparts with 40 ng / ml or more. It is not clear how vitamin D can prevent infection.
The scientists calculated that 9.7% of black participants with vitamin D levels below 20 ng / ml had the infection, compared with 3.8% of those who consumed 40 ng / ml or more.
Every 1 ng / ml increase above 30 ng / ml reduces a black person’s risk of contracting the coronavirus by 5%, the results suggest.
Read more: Long-term COVID Patient Takes Vitamin D to Relieve Symptoms
The findings “support the idea that supplementation might decrease the risk of COVID-19 by increasing vitamin D levels,” the scientists wrote.
“While the increasing availability of COVID-19 vaccines is likely to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and thus the potential benefits of vitamin D supplementation, the presence of new strains resistant to existing vaccines may increase. the possible benefits of vitamin D supplementation “. they added.
“Vitamin D supplementation may be helpful in populations that do not receive the vaccine.
“The weakened host responses may also improve the conditions for the development of the viral mutation, so supplementation could have benefits at the population level in reducing the risk of mutant strains.”
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With a shortage of sunlight during the UK’s cold months, the NHS has always maintained that “everyone should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D during autumn and winter.” This equates to 10,000 ng.
The supplements were also recommended during the first UK lockdown, introduced in late March 2020, due to people spending a considerable amount of time indoors.
When it comes specifically to the coronavirus, Nice has argued that “it has not [been] possible to determine a direct relationship between vitamin D and COVID-19 based on the available evidence. “
Some experts believe that the anti-inflammatory properties of the vitamin could prevent complications from the coronavirus. Patients can become seriously ill when the immune system overreacts to infection, triggering a generalized inflammatory response that damages vital organs.
Inflammation can also be responsible for prolonged COVID, where complications persist after a former coronavirus patient tests negative for infection.
Those who favor vitamin D as a strategy for the coronavirus argue that the supplements are inexpensive and safe, even in high doses.
