In a new study, researchers found that COVID-19 patients who were vitamin D sufficient had a much lower risk for adverse outcomes including becoming unconscious, hypoxia (body starved for oxygen), and death.
In addition, they had lower blood levels of an inflammatory marker (C-reactive protein) and higher blood levels of lymphocytes (a type of immune cell to help fight infection).
This study provides direct evidence that vitamin D sufficiency can reduce the complications, including the cytokine storm (release of too many proteins into the blood too quickly) and ultimately death from COVID-19.
The research was conducted by a team at Boston University School of Medicine.
In the study, a blood sample to measure vitamin D status (measured serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D) was taken from 235 patients were admitted to the hospital with COVID-19.
These patients were followed for clinical outcomes including clinical severity of the infection, becoming unconscious, having difficulty in breathing resulting in hypoxia and death.
The blood was also analyzed for an inflammatory marker (C-reactive protein) and for numbers of lymphocytes.
The researchers then compared all of these parameters in patients who were vitamin D deficient to those who were vitamin D sufficient.
In patients older than 40 years, they found that those patients who were vitamin D sufficient were 51.5% less likely to die from the infection compared to patients who were vitamin D deficient or insufficient with a blood level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D less than 30 ng/mL.
The team’s previous research found that a sufficient amount of vitamin D can reduce the risk of catching coronavirus by 54%.
They believe that being vitamin D sufficient helps to fight consequences from being infected not only with the coronavirus but also other viruses causing upper respiratory tract illnesses including influenza.
The current study provides a simple and cost-effective strategy to improve one’s ability to fight the coronavirus and reduce COVID-19’s adverse clinical outcomes, including requiring ventilator support, overactive immune response leading to cytokine storm and death.
They say because vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are so widespread in children and adults in the United States and worldwide, especially in the winter months, it is prudent for everyone to take a vitamin D supplement to reduce the risk of being infected and having complications from COVID-19.
One author of the study is Michael F. Holick, Ph.D., MD, a professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics and molecular medicine.
The study is published in PLOS ONE.
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