There is emerging research that is beginning to link CoVid19 and Vitamin D deficiency. The purpose of this article to to examine this emerging research. And to clarify the level of vitamin D in the blood stream that might present a risk, as well as a benefit.

First, some background on vitamin D.

In nature there are two forms of vitamin D. Vitamin D2 is found in plants and is called ergocalciferol. This form is hard for the human body to convert into an active compound. Because of this vitamin D3 is a better source.

Vitamin D3 is found in animals and is called cholecalciferol.

By themselves both forms are inactive. Our bodies have to convert them to an active compound. This is usually done by the liver and then the kidneys.

Your liver converts vitamin D3 to 25-hydroxycholecalcifoerol, which is then convert by your kidneys into 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol. This final conversion is what is measured in your blood serum. A simple blood test can determine is you fall into one of the following three categories for 25-dihydroxycholecalcifoerl:

• Normal – would be 30 ng/ml or higher

• Insufficient – would be 21 – 29 ng/ml

• Deficiency – would be 20 ng/ml or less

A 2011 study of the US population found that 41.6% of adults are vitamin D deficient. But when viewed based on ethnicity the following was discovered:

• 69.2% of Hispanics were vitamin D deficient

• 82.1% of African-Americans were vitamin D deficient

This might be a significant factor in CoVid19 and vitamin D deficiency being a greater issue in the Black population groups. As well as Hispanics having a high risk when compared to the general population.

Now before we look at some of the emerging scientific articles, let’s briefly summarize why vitamin D might be so important in the CoVid19 health crisis.

Vitamin D and Your Immune System

Most people associate vitamin D with bone health. And while this is true vitamin D is also critical to your immune system function and response.

It is a key component in the activation of your immune system defenses. Specifically, vitamin D enhances the function of your T-cells and macrophages that protect your body against pathogens.

And when your vitamin D levels are low there is a direct association with an increased susceptibility to infection, disease, and immune-related disorders.

Low levels of vitamin D are also associated with the following respiratory diseases:

• Tuberculosis

• Asthma

• COPD or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

• Viral Respiratory Infections

• Bacterial Respiratory Infections

And as CoVid19 has created a worldwide pandemic the most vulnerable population groups are older adults with a depressed immune system and other underlying health issues like diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Both diabetes and cardiovascular disease also have a direct association with vitamin D deficiency.

Emerging Research on on CoVid19 and Vitamin D Deficiency

The most recent study to emerge regarding CoVid19 and Vitamin D deficiency comes from Indonesia. The title of the study is “Patterns of COVID-19 Mortality and Vitamin D: An Indonesian Study.” In this study they examined 780 case and found that higher levels on vitamin D in the blood stream were associated with decreased symptoms and mortality.

In fact, when you look at the death rate, this association becomes startling. The following chart helps you see this:

Vitamin D Level	% of CoVid19 Patients	Death Rate
Normal	50.00%	4.00%
Insufficient	27.00%	88.00%
Deficient	23.00%	99.00%

As you can see by the above table 50% of the CoVid19 patients had normal vitamin D levels and only 4% of this group ended up dying from CoVid19.

However, for those who were either insufficient and deficient in their vitamin D levels, they had an 88% and 99% respective death rate.

Now this is an observational study and not a clinical study. But the contrast between those with normal vitamin D levels compared to those with insufficient to deficient vitamin D levels is absolutely clear in the outcome.

Here are some additional studies in this area. I’ve tried to provide a balanced review of the current literature. This means that 5 of the 6 studies I highlight show a CoVid19 and vitamin D deficiency relationship. It is only the Oxford review that does not.

Vitamin D Insufficiency is Prevalent in Severe COVID-19

Emerging health disparities data regarding African American and homeless populations suggest that vitamin D insufficiency (VDI) may be an underlying driver of COVID-19 severity.

Conclusions: VDI is highly prevalent in severe COVID-19 patients. VDI and severe COVID-19 share numerous associations including hypertension, obesity, male sex, advanced age, concentration in northern climates, coagulopathy, and immune dysfunction.

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.24.20075838v1

The Possible Role of Vitamin D in Suppressing Cytokine Storm and Associated Mortality in COVID-19 Patients

Interpretation Given that CRP is a surrogate marker for severe COVID-19 and is associated with Vit D deficiency, our finding suggests that Vit D may reduce COVID-19 severity by suppressing cytokine storm in COVID-19 patients.

https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.08.20058578v3

Vitamin D: A rapid review of the evidence for treatment or prevention in COVID-19

We found no clinical evidence on vitamin D in COVID-19. There was no evidence related to vitamin D deficiency predisposing to COVID-19, nor were there studies of supplementation for preventing or treating COVID-19.

https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/vitamin-d-a-rapid-review-of-the-evidence-for-treatment-or-prevention-in-covid-19/

Evidence That Vitamin D Supplementation Could Reduce Risk of Influenza and COVID-19 Infections and Deaths

To reduce the risk of infection, it is recommended that people at risk of influenza and/or COVID-19 consider taking 10,000 IU/d of vitamin D3 for a few weeks to rapidly raise 25(OH)D concentrations, followed by 5000 IU/d. The goal should be to raise 25(OH)D concentrations above 40-60 ng/mL (100-150 nmol/L). For treatment of people who become infected with COVID-19, higher vitamin D3 doses might be useful.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32252338/

The role of Vitamin D in the prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 infection and mortality

Discussion: Vitamin D levels are severely low in the aging population especially in Spain, Italy and Switzerland. This is also the most vulnerable group of population for COVID-19.

Conclusions: We believe, that we can advise Vitamin D supplementation to protect against SARS-CoV2 infection.

https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-21211/v1

COVID-19 Deaths Are Being Linked to Vitamin D Deficiency. Here’s What That Means

The researchers dug through existing health literature to catalogue the average levels of vitamin D among the citizens of 20 European countries, and then compared the figures with the relative numbers of COVID-19 deaths in each country.

A simple statistical test showed there was a pretty convincing correlation between the figures, where populations with lower than average concentrations of the vitamin also featured more deaths from SARS-CoV-2.

“The most vulnerable group of population for COVID-19 is also the one that has the most deficit in vitamin D,” the researchers conclude in their preliminary report.

https://www.sciencealert.com/covid-deaths-are-being-linked-with-vitamin-d-deficiency-here-s-what-that-means

 

Now if you decide that vitamin D is important to your immune system, then the following table might me helpful in knowing how much of vitamin D3 you should consume on a daily basis. This table is from The Cleveland Clinic:

People by age	Recommended dietary allowance (IU/day)	Upper level intake (IU/day)
Infants 0-6 months*	400	1,000
Infants 6-12 months*	400	1,500
Children 1-3 years old	600	2,500
Children 4-8 years old	600	3,000
People 9-70 years old	600	4,000
People over 70 years old	800	4,000
Females 14-50 years old, pregnant/lactating	600	4,000

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/15050-vitamin-d–vitamin-d-deficiency

Personally, I opt on the “Upper level intake.” It doesn’t mean that I won’t get sick. But I’m a firm believer in a healthy immune system to reduce my risk for all forms of disease.

And taking a good, chewable vitamin D3 supplement is a very cost effective way to get this needed nutrient into my body.

Blessing Lives Through Nitric Oxide Therapy!

Dan Hammer