Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin
that plays several critical roles in your body.
Because vitamin D is so crucial for immune system health, many
people question if taking vitamin D supplements will help reduce the risk of
getting the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
While there's currently no cure for COVID-19, preventive measures like
physical distancing and proper hygiene can protect you from contracting the
virus.
Furthermore, some studies suggest that adequate vitamin D levels
can help maintain a healthy immune system and may protect against respiratory
illnesses in general.
A recent study indicated that patients hospitalized with COVID-19
who had sufficient vitamin D levels had a decreased risk for adverse outcomes
and death.
This article addresses how vitamin D affects immune health and how
supplementing with this nutrient can help to prevent respiratory issues.
How does vitamin D affect immune health?
Vitamin D is essential for proper immune system function, which is
your body's first line of defense against infection and disease.
This vitamin plays a critical role in promoting immune response.
It has both anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties and is crucial
for activating immune system defenses.
Vitamin D is known to improve the activity of immune cells that
protect your body from diseases, such as T cells and macrophages.
Vitamin D is so essential for an immune function that low levels
have increased susceptibility to infection, disease, and immune-related
disorders.
Low vitamin D levels, for example, have been linked to an
increased risk of TB, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),
as well as viral and bacterial respiratory infections.
Furthermore, vitamin D insufficiency has been related to a
decrease in lung function, which may impact your body's capacity to fight
infections.
Can you take vitamin D to protect against COVID-19?
There is currently no cure or treatment for COVID-19, and few
studies have looked at the impact of vitamin D supplements or deficiency on the
risk of getting SARS-CoV-2, a new coronavirus.
In a recent study, however, a blood level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D
of at least 30 ng/mL was found to help lower the risk of adverse clinical
outcomes and death in COVID-19 patients who were hospitalized.
Hospital data of 235 patients with COVID-19 were analyzed.
Compared to vitamin D-deficient patients over the age of 40, those
with adequate vitamin D levels were 51.5 percent less likely to suffer adverse
outcomes such as going unconscious, hypoxia, and death.
Other research has found that vitamin D deficiency can decrease
immune function and increase the risk of respiratory diseases.
Vitamin D supplements have also been shown in several studies to
improve immune response and protect against respiratory infections in general.
Supplementing with vitamin D decreases the risk of acute
respiratory infections (ARI) in both those with deficient and adequate vitamin
D levels, according to a recent study including 11,321 persons from 14
countries.
Overall, vitamin D supplements reduced the risk of developing at
least one ARI by 12%, according to the study. Those with low vitamin D levels
had the most significant protective benefit.
Moreover, the review found that vitamin D supplements were most
effective at protecting against ARI when taken daily or weekly in small doses
and less effective when taken in larger, widely spaced doses.
Vitamin D supplements have also been shown to reduce mortality in
older adults, most at risk of developing respiratory illnesses like COVID-19.
What's more, vitamin D deficiency is known to enhance a process
known as the "cytokine storm."
Cytokines are proteins that are essential to the immune system's
function. They can have both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory effects,
and they play a vital role in infection and illness prevention.
However, cytokines can also induce tissue damage under certain
circumstances.
The uncontrolled release of pro-inflammatory cytokines in response
to infection or other factors is a cytokine storm. The release of cytokines is
dysregulated and excessive, which causes significant tissue damage and
increases illness progression and severity.
It's a major cause of multiple organ failure and acute respiratory
distress syndrome (ARDS), as well as a critical factor in COVID-19 progression
and severity.
Patients with severe COVID-19, for example, have been shown to
produce large amounts of cytokines, especially interleukin-1 (IL-1) and
interleukin-6 (IL-6) (19).
Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with reduced immune
function and may enhance the cytokine storm.
As a result, researchers believe that a vitamin D deficiency may
raise the likelihood of severe COVID-19 complications and that vitamin D
supplementation may reduce cytokine storms and uncontrolled inflammation in
COVID-19 individuals.
Multiple clinical trials currently examine the effects of vitamin
D supplementation (at doses up to 200,000 IU) in COVID-19 patients.
Although the study in this area is ongoing, it's important to
remember that taking vitamin D won't protect you from COVID-19.
On the other hand, Vitamin D may increase your susceptibility to
infection and disease by weakening immune function.
This is especially worrisome since many people are deficient in
vitamin D, especially older individuals who are most at risk of developing COVID-19-related
severe complications.
For these reasons, it's a good idea to have your healthcare
provider test your vitamin D levels to determine whether you have a deficiency
in this vital nutrient. This is especially critical during the winter.
Supplementing 1,000–4,000 IU of vitamin D each day, depending on
your blood levels, is usually enough for most people. Those with low blood
levels, on the other hand, will frequently require much higher doses to reach
an optimal range.
Though views on what constitutes an optimal vitamin D level
differ, most experts agree that groups of 30–60 ng/mL (75–150 nmol/L) are
optimal.
Last but not least
Vitamin D serves several functions in your body, including
maintaining immune system health.
According to scientific evidence, Vitamin D may protect against
respiratory infections, especially among people who are vitamin D deficient.
According to recent studies, adequate vitamin D levels may help
persons with COVID-19 avoid adverse effects.
We still don't know if taking vitamin D supplements lowers your
risk of getting COVID-19 after catching the coronavirus.
Talk to your doctor about supplementing with vitamin D to enhance your overall immune response.