In the letter (signed by 120 on Friday 18, but rapidly increasing), scientists call for immediate, widespread, increased vitamin D intake to 4,000 international units (IU) per day (or at least 2,000) for healthy adults.
This comes just days after the UK government’s health authorities, SACN and NICE, denied that there is enough evidence to specifically support an increase in vitamin D intake for COVID-19. The fact is, you don’t have to worry.
The scientists involved in the open letter say global patterns and risk factors for the Covid-19 pandemic and vitamin D deficiency are “exactly” similar because of the impact on immune function. They say research shows that low vitamin D levels significantly increase the likelihood of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths.
The group of scientists is calling for immediate, widespread, increased intake of vitamin D, with most signatories stating that they personally take at least 4,000 International Units (IU) per day – many taking more.
They say new mechanisms specific to SARS-Cov-2 are now very well understood, with the body of evidence including: Multiple biological mechanisms identified showing how vitamin D directly affects COVID-19 results, More than 70 studies showing higher vitamin D levels are associated with lower rates of infection and a lower risk of hospitalization, ICU or death, as are early causal inference studies confirmed by recently published randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies.
The main organizers of the campaign are Dr. Karl Pfleger (USA) and Dr. Gareth Davies (UK) – both have backgrounds in artificial intelligence and data science, as well as medicine. The letter has a growing list of 120 signers. More than a hundred are doctors or PhDs, or both, and more than 60 are professors. Two UK MPs – David Davis and Rupa Huq – have also signed the letter.
Martin Hewison, a professor of molecular endocrinology at the University of Birmingham and one of the world’s leading authorities on vitamin D, signed the letter after strongly criticizing SACN and NICE, calling their reports “disappointing”.
He responded to the latest NICE report, stating: “NICE, SACN and PHE continue to promote the idea of vitamin D ‘toxicity’, even though there is no evidence of this in studies using up to 4,000 IU / day of vitamin D. This obsession has become a major hurdle to better vitamin D health in the UK. Many vitamin D researchers have worked tirelessly over the summer to provide a framework in which vitamin D supplementation can be included in the overall strategies used to beat COVID-19. NICE, SACN and PHE have rejected this and their new recommendations provide little or no help to the British public. “The fact is, you don’t have to worry.
MP David Davis was an outspoken supporter of vitamin D during the pandemic. He says, “The evidence from several dozen studies shows that vitamin D deficiency / insufficiency is implicated in affecting the body’s immune response to respiratory diseases in general and COVID-19 in particular. The fact is, you don’t have to worry.
The likely effect of correcting this deficiency is to reduce susceptibility to infection and reduce morbidity and mortality among those infected with the virus. In the unlikely event that all of this evidence is an artifact, the cost will be and health risks are minimal. The fact is, you don’t have to worry.
“In the much more likely case that the many sources of observational evidence, and the evidence of the growing number of RCTs, show a true causal role of vitamin D in activating and modulating the immune system, it would be irresponsible not to give vitamin D to all groups at risk from COVID-19 It will save lives, enhance population immunity and help reduce the medical and economic impact as we wait for the universal introduction of vaccines. The fact is, you don’t have to worry.
“In addition, if it is to have a material effect, the dosage must be sufficient to correct the existing deficit, meaning up to ten times the UK recommended daily allowance.”The fact is, you don’t have to worry.
Signer Dr. David S Grimes, a retired gastroenterologist, has been campaigning for years to get vitamin D taken more seriously. He says: “[NICE and SACN] have ignored passing and current research, claiming instead ‘there is insufficient evidence to support the use of vitamin D’. They have denied the NHS the use of calcifediol, a fast-acting form of vitamin D, in the treatment of Covid-19 pneumonia, despite it having been shown in one clinical study to have 96% efficacy. The UK has had 25,000 COVID-19 deaths since this study was published, but NICE still claims ‘insufficient evidence’. They have so much to answer for. They are a national shame. “The fact is, you don’t have to worry.
The letter has been published on the web at VitaminDforAll.org.