There is no clinical evidence to show that low levels of vitamin D lead to severe Covid-19 symptoms, but there is a clear link between the ‘sunshine vitamin’ and immune response to the disease, experts say, as the pandemic swept over the world is spreading and concern is growing. about a new mutated strain.
While emphasizing that vitamin D is cheap and carries a negligible risk compared to the significant risk of Covid-19, global researchers of the disease have asked governments to make it part of their strategy against the novel coronavirus.
Many factors such as age, masculinity and co-morbidity are known to predispose people to a higher risk from exposure to SARS-CoV-2, but insufficient vitamin D is by far the easiest and most rapidly modifiable risk factor with abundant evidence to support a large benefit. effect, said Prof. Afrozul Haq, former Dean of the School of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Technology (SIST) at Jamia Hamdard University in New Delhi.
He is one of 170 experts who wrote an open letter on the matter earlier this month.
The letter on the vitaminsindforall.org website calls for an immediate widespread increased intake of vitamin D and states that “research shows that low vitamin D levels almost certainly promote Covid-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths.”
“This campaign group of vitamin D and Covid-19 researchers, including myself, began the process of writing this letter with the aim of raising awareness of the benefits of vitamin D supplementation in Covid-19 infected patients and this letter to all health professionals. ministries, health workers, government agencies and NGOs, ”Haq told PTI. According to the letter, which had 171 signatories on Wednesday, the evidence suggests that the Covid-19 pandemic is largely perpetuating through infection of people with low vitamin D levels and that deaths are largely concentrated in those with deficiency.
“The mere possibility that this is so should compel more vitamin D data to be collected. Even without more data, the preponderance of evidence suggests that an increased vitamin D dose would help reduce infections, hospitalizations, ICU admissions and deaths, ”he said.
As the debate on the matter escalated, immunologist Vineeta Bal added a skepticism, noting that most experts are based in developed countries where daily vitamin D supplementation is possible, practical and affordable.
“But that’s not the case with India. Vitamin D deficiency is very common in India. Regular supplementation is not part of the standard recommendations, even for pregnant women, ”Bal, visiting professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Pune, told PTI.
“If people are seriously deficient, supplementation as recommended in the letter will likely take weeks or months to reach the desired levels of vitamin D in the serum,” she said.
The scientist added that this cannot be considered an emergency measure, when the country lacks manpower and facilities even for the vaccine program. According to her, vitamin D supplementation should be a long-term, non-emergency measure and something that could also be helpful in the Covid-19 scenario.
“Not only vitamin D, but other vitamins and micronutrients such as zinc have shown beneficial effects,” she explains.
According to Prof Srijit Mishra, another signatory to the letter, the recommendation for vitamin D intake for adults is up to 4,000 international units (IU) or 100 micrograms (mcg) per day. Those at increased risk of deficiency due to obesity, dark skin, or living in care homes may require a higher intake.
Current evidence suggests that 25-hydroxyvitamin D serum levels in excess of 30 nanograms per milliliter (ng / ml), a test to measure vitamin D levels, are a widely accepted minimum to reduce Covid-19 risk , Mishra, of Mumbai’s Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), told PTI.
Bal said it is well known that vitamin D has many beneficial contributions to immune responses, adding, “To my knowledge, there are no reports of radical improvements brought about by vitamin D supplementation in normal individuals.” According to her, vitamin D can play an additional role in addition to other drugs, but not a primary role. The link between vitamin D and better immune competence exists based on experimental data, and data on patients is almost always associative and does not prove a cause-and-effect relationship, she said.
While there are no clinical studies testing the effectiveness of vitamin D as a treatment or preventive measure, several studies have found an association between low levels of vitamin D and Covid-19.
However, a review of five of these studies by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the UK concludes that the studies provide no evidence that vitamin D levels influence the risk of getting Covid-19 or death as a result. .
“There is no evidence to support the use of vitamin D supplements to specifically prevent or treat Covid-19,” the study authors wrote.
Mishra also noted that the evidence so far on risk factors of low vitamin D Covid-19 is associative, with some studies suggesting that low vitamin D levels carried a higher risk of infection and positivity rates.
He said a communication from the UK-based NNEdPro Global Center for Nutrition and Health released a 10-point summary on nutrition, nutrition and the role of micronutrients in combating Covid-19.
“The note identifies the relevance of several micronutrients, including vitamin D. However, as the NNEdPro article clearly points out, this nutritional adequacy advice should not be taken as a substitute for important public health and medical advice on prevention,” Mishra said.
(This story was published from a wire agent feed with no text modifications.)
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