May 28, 2020

Can vitamin D reduce the risk of COVID-19?

Kann Vitamin D das COVID-19 Risiko senken?

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a number of crucial roles in the body.

This nutrient is particularly important for the health of the immune system, which has led many people to wonder whether vitamin D supplementation could help reduce the risk of infection with the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

It is important to note that there is currently no cure for this disease and that the only way to protect yourself is to maintain physical distancing and proper hygiene measures.

However, some research shows that healthy vitamin D levels, as well as taking a vitamin D supplement, can help keep the immune system healthy and protect against respiratory infections in general.

This article helps explain how vitamin D affects immune health and how supplementing with this nutrient can help protect against respiratory infections, including COVID-19.

How does vitamin D affect immune health?

Vitamin D is necessary for proper functioning of the immune system, which is your body's first line of defense against infection and disease.

This vitamin plays a crucial role in promoting the immune response. It has both anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties and is essential for activating the immune system's defense mechanisms (1).

Vitamin D is known to improve the function of immune cells, including T cells and macrophages, which protect the body from pathogens (2). In fact, vitamin D is so important for immune function that low vitamin D levels are associated with increased susceptibility to infection, disease and immune-related disorders (3).

For example, low vitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk of respiratory diseases including tuberculosis, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as viral and bacterial respiratory diseases (4, 5, 6, 7).

In addition, vitamin D deficiency is associated with reduced lung function, which can impair your body's ability to fight respiratory infections (8, 9).

Summary: Vitamin D is crucial for immune function. A deficiency of this nutrient can impair the immune response and increase the risk of infection and disease.

Can taking vitamin D protect against COVID-19?

At this time, there is no treatment for COVID-19 and there are no studies that have directly examined the effects of vitamin D treatment or vitamin D deficiency on the risk of contracting COVID-19.

However, there are numerous studies that have shown that vitamin D deficiency can impair immune function and increase the risk of developing respiratory diseases (10). In addition, some studies suggest that vitamin D supplements may improve the immune response and protect against respiratory infections in general.

A recent study review involving 11,321 subjects from 14 countries showed that vitamin D supplementation reduced the risk of respiratory tract infections in both people with adequate vitamin D levels and those who were vitamin D deficient.

Overall, this study showed that vitamin D supplements could reduce the risk of respiratory tract infection by 12%. The protective effect was strongest in people with low vitamin D levels (11).

In addition, the review showed that vitamin D supplements were most effective in protecting against respiratory tract infections when taken weekly at low doses and were less effective when used at higher doses more frequently (12).

Vitamin D supplements have been shown to reduce mortality in older adults who are at higher risk of respiratory disease such as COVID-19 (13).

It should be kept in mind that there is still no scientific evidence that taking vitamin D supplements can directly protect against COVID-19 disease. However, vitamin D deficiency or low vitamin D levels can increase general susceptibility to respiratory diseases, including COVID-19, by impairing immune function.

This is particularly worrying when you consider that many people are vitamin D deficient, especially the elderly, who are at the highest risk of serious complications from COVID-19 (14).

For this reason, it is a good idea to have your personal vitamin D levels checked by a doctor to find out if you have a vitamin D deficiency.

Depending on blood levels, supplementation with 1,000 to 4,000 IU of vitamin D per day is typically sufficient for most people. However, people with low blood levels often require much higher doses to bring their levels into an optimal range (15).

Although recommendations vary as to an optimal range of vitamin D levels, most experts agree that optimal vitamin D levels are between 30-60 ng/ml (75-150 nmol/l) (16, 17).

Summary: There is no direct evidence yet that vitamin D supplements can reduce COVID-19 risk, but healthy vitamin D levels can improve immune health. In addition, vitamin D supplements may protect against respiratory infections in general.

Conclusion

Vitamin D plays many important roles in the body, including promoting the health of the immune system.

Scientific research suggests that vitamin D supplementation may protect against respiratory infections, particularly for those who are vitamin D deficient.

However, it should be kept in mind that there is currently no direct evidence that taking supplements including vitamin D can reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19.

If you are interested in taking vitamin D to improve your overall immune response, you should consult your doctor for information on the optimal dosage.

References:

Source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-d-coronavirus#bottom-line

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