Everyone is anxious the spread of COVID-19, but until there is a vaccine, people should take whatever measures are available to them to enhance their protection.
That includes the use of supplements and vitamins.
Vitamin D was on the list of supplements President Trump was taking when he was diagnosed with COVID-19 and even Dr. Anthony Fauci has said he’s takes it to bolster his immune system — and two studies support the idea.
“They can help the immune system identify pathogens in the body so helping the immune system recognize the virus in the body and they also are part of the immune system and the mechanism that blocks the viruses from being able to get into the cells,” said registered dietitian Erin Gussler.
A newly published study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism looked back at the vitamin D levels of 216 SARS-CoV-2 patients admitted to a hospital in Spain. It turns out more than 80% of those patients were deficient in vitamin D and 47% of the general population had a deficiency.
The higher percentage of vitamin D deficiencies among hospitalized COVID-19 patients suggests an association — however they did not find a relationship between vitamin D levels and the severity of their coronavirus infections.
This aligns with another study of 489 patients from the University of Chicago Medicine that found there could be an association between vitamin D deficiency and the likelihood of catching coronavirus.
These observational studies are suggestive but don’t prove vitamin D deficiencies increase susceptibility to COVID-19 infection. Nonetheless, given the mounting data, it is a good idea to correct any deficiency in vitamin D.