A new study has found that low levels of vitamin D may put people at risk for developing COVID-19.
Vitamin D
Ever since the coronavirus pandemic started there have been various studies on how big a role does vitamin D play in the recovery process. There have been many studies around the world. According to a new study by Leumit Health Services (LHS) and the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine of Bar-Ilan University, low levels of vitamin D may put people at risk for developing COVID-19,
Vitamin D has long been understood to impact immune response. According to Dr Milana Frenkel-Morgenstern, leader of the Azrieli Faculty of Medicine research group, as much as 70% of the adult population worldwide is vitamin D insufficient or deficient.
“The main finding of our study was the significant association of low plasma vitamin D level with the likelihood of COVID-19 infection among patients who were tested for COVID-19, even after adjustment for age, gender, socio-economic status and chronic, mental and physical disorders,” said Dr Eugene Merzon, head of the Department of Managed Care and a leading researcher of the LHS group. “Furthermore, low vitamin D level was associated with the risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19 infection, although this association wasn’t significant after adjustment for other confounders.”
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Scientists from the UK and US also claimed that low levels of vitamin D can be a reason for deaths in COVID-19 patients. Though the study was based on statistical data and was at the preliminary stages, as soon as the study came out in public, it created a stir as some people thought vitamin D could be used as a preventive measure against COVID-19
The reviewers concluded that life expectancy of a population can be a major reason behind the deaths related to COVID-19. They further concluded that life expectancy of a country is a major predictor of both COVID-19 cases and COVID-19 deaths as the countries with higher life expectancy will have a higher proportion of older people and may present with more deaths.
They called for more research to be conducted to find out the role of vitamin D levels in COVID-19 cases or deaths as the claims made previously could lead to overdosing on the vitamin, which can reportedly have fatal consequences.
Vitamin D has other roles in the body, including modulation of cell growth, neuromuscular and immune function, and reduction of inflammation. Many genes encoding proteins that regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis are modulated in part by vitamin D1. Many cells have vitamin D receptors and some convert 25(OH)D to 1,25(OH)2D.
