To Your Health
July, 2020 (Vol. 14, Issue 07) |
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Is COVID-19 Severity Linked to Vitamin D Status?
By Editorial Staff
While the pharmaceutical industry rushes at breakneck speed to produce a vaccine that will protect us from the coronavirus, health and wellness experts, particularly those with a nutritional background, understand that strengthening the body's immune system may be the ultimate protection.
In fact, in addition to the growing body of research suggesting vitamin D can boost immune function, a new study provides evidence that vitamin D status may be associated with disease severity in COVID-19 patients.
Researchers performed a retrospective audit of patients with COVID-19 who had been admitted for inpatient care, evaluating vitamin D status, compliance with local treatment protocols, and the potential relationship between vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and markers of COVID-19 severity. Published in Clinical Endocrinology, the study revealed: "Higher prevalence of VDD was observed in patients requiring [intensive care unit] admission compared to patients managed on medical wards."
So, if vitamin D deficiency could negatively impact your immune system; and your immune system helps fight COVID-19, other viral infections and basically every foreign "invader" that tries to compromise your health; and vitamin D deficiency could make you more likely to require ICU admission if you're infected with the coronavirus - then you should probably be making sure you're getting enough vitamin D right about now! Talk to your doctor about the health benefits of vitamin D, how to determine your current vitamin D status, and what to do if you're deficient or borderline deficient.
