It has long been known that vitamin D regulates at least 2000 processes in the body, most importantly the immune system. This ensures that it is active against intruders and it is responsible for switching it off again before it damages its own cells. The receptors responsible for this are also known and it is known that their underdevelopment leads to autoimmune diseases in childhood due to vitamin D deficiency.
Unsurprisingly, too some studies found that low vitamin D levels in Covid-19 patients resulted in more severe courses of the disease.
Vitamin D studies in the UK
There are more and more questions about whether vitamin D plays a role in the fight against the coronavirus. In the UK in particular, there was a high level of death among the non-white population – 94% of all doctors who died on Covid-19 had a BAME (Black, Asian, and minority ethnic) background – authorities have requested that vitamin D be related for corona should be examined: “British ministers order urgent review of vitamin D coronavirus” is the title of FR24.news. Of the Guardian reported:
“Public health officials are urgently considering vitamin D’s potential ability to reduce the risk of coronavirus. […] The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) started this work last month and is reviewing the latest findings on vitamin D and acute respiratory infections in the general population. ”
Recommendations for vitamin D supplementation
The French Académie nationale de Médecine reported in one Press release from May 22nd on the recommendation to test all seniors over 60 and to treat those who suffer from vitamin D deficiency with bolus doses of 50,000 – 100,000 units of vitamin D. And she recommends people under 60 who are infected with SARS-CoV-19 to supplement with 800-1000 units per day.
After one BBC report The Scientific Advisory Commission on Nutrition and the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) have determined that the lockdown and lack of time outdoors have reduced vitamin D levels. That is why vitamin D supplementation is recommended. However, no more than 50 micrograms (8000 IU) of vitamin D per day is recommended for children and 100 adults for adults.
Doctors who have a lot of experience with the administration of vitamin D for the treatment of Autoimmune diseases recommend 250 micrograms (10,000 IU) daily, as does one in PubMed published study.
I myself take 250 micrograms (10,000 IU) of vitamin D daily because of an autoimmune disorder, so I can’t spend some time in the summer sun. Regular laboratory checks then result in values of 60 – 70 ng / ml, depending on the laboratory, the standard values are 40 – 90 and for summer even up to 120 ng / ml.
You usually get that if you spend enough time outside. Our skin can do it when it is exposed to the sun – provided that the sun falls at an angle of less than 45 degrees. Otherwise the UVB radiation will be filtered out by the too large air layer. UVB is required to produce vitamin D from cholesterol in the skin. You can easily check whether the position of the sun is high enough by your own shade, if it is shorter than you are tall, everything is good, if it is the same length, the sun is at 45 degrees.
Year-round recommendation for vitamin D.
Before the pandemic, people in the UK were advised to take supplements in the winter months (October to March). In the meantime, Public Health England recommends vitamin D all year round if you are not often outdoors, living in a nursing home, usually wearing clothes that cover most of your skin outdoors.
People with dark skin may not get enough even if they spend time outdoors, so consider adding a year-round supplement.
The Scottish and Welsh governments and the Northern Ireland Health Department have made similar recommendations.
Studies: Protection by Vitamin D in Covid-19
Study: Vitamin-Magnesium Combination Reduces Severity of Covid-19 in Seniors
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