Do Vitamin D Supplements intake reduce COVID-19 Risk?
Several observational studies shows that populations that are deficient in vitamin D also have a higher risk for severe COVID-19, in particular people with darker skin, the elderly, and those who are overweight.
From a new genetic study its said that giving people extra vitamin D does not protect against coronavirus infection . Vitamin D can be found in two forms blood: bound to a protein or its free floating. When we are talking about innate immunity the latter is the one that matters most .
The study has concluded that :
Ø A genetic analysis suggests that vitamin D supplements may not reduce people’s risk for coronavirus infection or COVID-19.
Ø The study focused on genetic variants that are linked to increased vitamin D levels. Researchers found that people who have one of these variants i.e. who have higher vitamin D levels don’t have a lower risk for coronavirus infection, hospitalization, or severe illness due to COVID-19. So its clear that vitamin D supplements won’t lower their risk for COVID-19
Ø Some experts think we still need real-life clinical trials to know for sure.
In a study, published on June 1 in the journal PLOS Medicine, researchers at McGill University in Quebec, Canada, focused on genetic variants that are linked to increased vitamin D levels .They analyzed genetic variant data from around 14,000 people who had COVID-19 and compared it to genetic data from over 1.2 million people who didn’t have COVID-19.The researchers analyzed and found out that people whose DNA contains one of these variants are likely to naturally have higher levels of vitamin D, but diet and other environmental factors can still affect those levels.
Vitamin D is generally safe if its the intake of appropriate doses . Vitamin D isn’t naturally found in many foods, but Vitamin D found in fortified milk, fortified cereal, and fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines. Your body also makes vitamin D when direct sunlight converts a chemical in your skin into an active form of the vitamin (calciferol). So make sure to incorporate a regular walk in your day to day life no matter what. Its not proven that Vitamin D supplements help prevent COVID infection risk but it does help with you with its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and neuroprotective properties and supports immune health, muscle function and brain cell activity.
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