[ad_1]
Scientists are calling on ministers to add vitamin D to common foods like bread and milk to help fight Covid-19.
Up to half of the UK population is deficient in vitamin D, and government guidance that people should take supplements is not working, according to a group convened by Dr Gareth Davies, a medical physics researcher.
Low levels of vitamin D, which our bodies produce in response to intense sunlight, can lead to an increased risk of contracting the coronavirus or suffer more serious effects of infection, according to some studies. Last week, researchers in Spain found that 82% of coronavirus patients out of 216 admitted to the hospital had low levels of vitamin D. However, the picture is mixed: some research shows that vitamin D levels they have little to no effect on Covid-19, flu, and other respiratory illnesses.
Vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults (soft bones leading to deformities) and children with severe vitamin D deficiency are prone to hypocalcemia (low levels of calcium in the blood), causing seizures and heart failure.
However, Public Health England (PHE) and the Department of Health and Welfare have rejected calls in the last 10 years to fortify foods such as milk, bread and orange juice, which is the practice in Finland, Sweden, Australia and Canada.
“In my opinion, it is clear that vitamin D could not only protect against the severity of the disease, but it could also protect against infection,” Davies said. “Food fortification would need careful planning to be implemented effectively, particularly since people now take supplements. Choosing the right foods to fortify should be done carefully.
“But it is clear that the current policy is not working, at least half of the population has a vitamin D deficiency.”
Adrian Martineau, a professor of respiratory infection at Queen Mary University of London, who is not part of Davies’ group, is leading a clinical trial to examine whether vitamin D can reduce the risk of Covid-19 or its severity. The Coronavit study, which began last week and is supported by the Barts Charity, Fischer Family Trust and AIM Foundation, will follow more than 5,000 people through the winter.
“The government recommends that the entire population take vitamin D supplements in the winter months, and those in high-risk groups take them throughout the year,” Martineau said. “But we know that people are just not doing that in significant numbers. I even forget to take my supplement at times, and am living and breathing this issue. Fortification is a really good way to eliminate the deficiency. “
Our bodies produce vitamin D in response to strong sunlight. In the UK, that means that from October to March, people need to rely on other sources: oily fish, eggs and food supplements.
Some foods, such as breakfast cereals and mushrooms, are fortified with vitamin D, and people from low-income households are entitled to free multivitamins. White flour in the UK is already fortified with vitamins B1 (thiamine) and B3 (niacin), and last year the government launched a consultation on the addition of vitamin B9 (folic acid) to help prevent spina bifida and other congenital defects of the brain and spine. .
A 2019 study at the University of Birmingham, led by Magda Aguiar, a health economist, showed that there would be at least 25% fewer cases of vitamin D deficiency over the next 90 years if flour fortification were adopted , saving around £ 65 million.
In 2017, Professor Louis Levy, PHE’s chief of nutritional sciences, responded to requests for fortification saying there was insufficient evidence that vitamin D would reduce the risk of respiratory infections.
The Department of Health and Social Assistance was contacted for comment, but did not respond.
Recently, recruitment for the clinical trial at Queen Mary University has been expanded. Observing readers who want more information should send an email [email protected]
