According to a new study published in a journal, people who are vitamin D deficient are more likely to have a severe or critical case of COVID-19.
The research is based on data from Israel’s first two coronavirus waves, which occurred before vaccines were widely available. The researchers emphasized that vitamin supplements are not a replacement for vaccines, but they can boost immunity levels.
“We found it remarkable and striking to see the difference in the chances of becoming a severe patient when you are deficient in vitamin D versus when you are not,”
Amiel Dror, MD, the lead study author and a doctor at Galilee Medical Center, told The Times of Israel.
What is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that promotes bone growth and mineralization by assisting calcium absorption. It also has a role in immunological, digestive, circulatory, and nervous system functioning.
According to new studies, Vitamin D can help prevent a multitude of ailments, including cancer, diabetes, depression, and heart disease. In this case, COVID-19.
Despite the fact that the study was conducted prior to the Omicron variant, Mr Dror believes the coronavirus hasn’t changed enough to render vitamin D ineffective.
“What we’re seeing when vitamin D helps people with COVID infections is due to its effectiveness in boosting immune systems to deal with viral pathogens that attack the respiratory system,” he explained. “This applies equally to Omicron as it did to previous variants.”
Between April 2020 and February 2021, the researchers examined vitamin D levels in over 250 patients admitted to Galilee Medical Center with a positive COVID-19 test. The vitamin D levels were determined using testing done prior to the hospitalization as part of routine bloodwork or for vitamin D deficiency, which ranged from 14 to 730 days before the positive PCR test.
Patients with a vitamin D deficiency were 14 times more likely to have COVID-19 that was severe or critical. Furthermore, those with insufficient vitamin D levels died at a rate of 25.6 percent, compared to 2.3 percent for those with adequate levels.
After researchers controlled for the patients’ age, gender, and history of chronic diseases, the differences remained.
Despite the lack of data, health officials in various nations have suggested vitamin D supplementation throughout the pandemic, according to The Times of Israel. Recent research has found associations between vitamin D insufficiency, severe COVID-19, and hospitalization, while researchers are still debating whether the coronavirus is to blame for the shortfall.
Dror and colleagues looked at the data from Israeli patients to gain a better picture of their vitamin D levels before COVID-19 infection in order to address that question.
“We looked at a variety of timeframes and discovered that the association between vitamin D and illness severity is quite significant wherever you look throughout the two years prior to infection,” Dror told The Times of Israel. “It highlights the importance of everyone taking a vitamin D supplement during the epidemic, which has no negative effects when eaten in moderate levels consistent with official guidance.”
6 Ways to get Vitamin D.
- Spend time in the sun. Because the sun is one of the best sources of vitamin D, it is commonly referred to as “the sunshine vitamin.”
- Consume fatty fish and seafood like tuna, mackerel, shrimp, sardines etc.
- Increase your mushroom consumption.
- When exposed to UV radiation, mushrooms, like people, can produce their own vitamin D.
- Egg yolks are a wonderful source of vitamin D, so include them in your diet.
- Take Vitamin D supplements
- Consider using a UV lamp. For decades, UV lights have been used to cure a variety of skin disorders by simulating the sun’s activity. However, it should be used with caution because too much exposure might result in skin burns.
