The vitamin D light at the end of the tunnel for patients looking to avoid COVID

An overwhelming majority of COVID patients in one study showed vitamin D deficiency, and the vitamin D light shined on these results shows better defense for patients

COVID was the biggest culprit in a difficult year that left many patients searching for answers regarding better health through supplementation and wellness. So many studies have taken place to see how to prevent it, to develop vaccines, and what will halt the spread. A number of these studies have shown a vitamin D light at the end of the tunnel for patients looking to shore-up their health deficiencies that make them more susceptible to catching viruses.

A recent study published by the Endocrine Society in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism concluded that more than 80% of the 200+ patients studied in a hospital in Spain had a deficiency of vitamin D.

“One approach is to identify and treat vitamin D deficiency, especially in high-risk individuals such as the elderly, patients with comorbidities, and nursing home residents, who are the main target population for the COVID-19,” study co-author José L. Hernández, Ph.D., of the University of Cantabria in Santander, Spain, said in a statement. “Vitamin D treatment should be recommended in COVID-19 patients with low levels of vitamin D circulating in the blood since this approach might have beneficial effects in both the musculoskeletal and the immune system.”

Let vitamin D light the way for patient health

Many studies in the past have shown that doctors can let vitamin D light the way to health for patients and can strengthen the immune system — and so being deficient in it can make people susceptible to viruses. According to this cited study, 82.2% of the patients with COVID-19 has a vitamin D deficiency, while the overall population only has a 47.2% deficiency. More men than women were affected.

In addition, patients with COVID-19 and vitamin D deficiencies were more likely to also have hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, and they tended to stay in the hospital longer than those without a vitamin D deficiency.

The authors wrote in the paper, “The interplay between vitamin D and viral infection is an area of growing interest, and interaction with host and viral factors, immunomodulatory effects, induction of autophagy and apoptosis, and even genetic and epigenetic factors have been reported as antiviral effects of this hormone.”

Other issues with vitamin D deficiency

The statement issued by the Endocrine Society also said, “Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a variety of health concerns, although research is still underway into why the hormone impacts other systems of the body. Many studies point to the beneficial effect of vitamin D on the immune system, especially regarding protection against infections.”

However, the authors wrote, “Our study was carried out in a hospitalized population, and, in this sense, it is worth mentioning that serum 25OHD has been considered as a negative acute-phase reactant, and its values have been reported to be decreased during acute inflammatory diseases. Thus, our COVID-19 patients had a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency, and serum 25OHD levels significantly and negatively correlated with ferritin and D-dimer values, indicating that vitamin D might have a beneficial role on the systemic inflammatory state of this viral disease.”

Solid results, but studies ongoing

While they were able to make some connections between doctors helping vitamin D light the way to improving deficiency and helping ward off COVID-19 when there is a deficiency, the authors. admit that more study is needed.

“Whether the treatment of vitamin D deficiency will play some role in the prevention of the viral disease or improve the prognosis of patients with COVID-19 remains to be elucidated in large randomized controlled trials, which will be certainly necessary to precisely define the role of vitamin D supplementation in futures waves of SARS-CoV-2 infection.”