Can vitamin D supplement lower COVID-19 risk? Well, it is a fact that vitamin D is important for the normal functioning of our immune system among other things. But is there scientific proof that vitamin D may protect against novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19? Before we plunge into that, let me explain how our natural ability to fight off infections works.

What is immunity and how it works?

Our body is well-equipped to fight off infections naturally. This is called our immunity.

There are three types of immunity:

1. Local barriers such as integrity of the skin, mucus membrane, production of mucus, etc.
2. Innate Immunity – Immune mechanisms that we are born with. It primarily consists of various types of immune cells that directly kill viruses, bacteria, fungi.
3. Acquired Immunity – which we acquire through exposure to infections and vaccines. It primarily consists of special immune cells – T and B lymphocytes – which keep a memory of the viruses or bacteria from a previous exposure. These immune cells are ready to launch an attack once they recognize the invader from the past.

How Does Vitamin D help fight off infections?

Research shows vitamin D regulates all three types of immunity.

• Vitamin D works to tighten the junctions between the cells to keep the integrity of the mucous membranes (1).
• Vitamin D stimulates the production of a substance called CAMP – Cathelicidin AntiMicrobial Peptide (1, 2) by the immune cells which helps to kill invading viruses, bacteria, fungi.
• Vitamin D directly regulates the function of T and B lymphocytes (1, 2, 3)

Now you understand how vitamin D can boost up your immune system to fight off the invading viruses including novel coronavirus. What is even more interesting is the fact that vitamin D also down-regulates the cells of the immune system that cause inflammation.  In this way, vitamin D helps to prevent excessive inflammation – the Cytokine Storm – which is the main cause of mortality in COVID-19 patients.

Evidence that Vitamin D may reduce your risk of getting COVID-19:

Since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic, scientists have been curious about the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and the risk of COVID-19. Several studies now exist that show a high risk of COVID-19 if you are low in vitamin D.

For example, researchers looked at COVID-19 test results in relation to vitamin D levels in the US between mid-March through mid-June 2020. The findings are an eye-opener.

A total of 191,779 individuals were included. The COVID-19 test was positive in 12.5% of people whose vitamin D level was less than 20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L). But the test was positive in only 5.9% of people whose vitamin D level was more than 50 ng/mL ( 125 nmol/L) (4).

In other words, the risk of getting COVID-19 was about 50% lower in individuals whose vitamin D level was 55 ng/ml or more, in comparison to people whose vitamin D level was less than 20 ng/ml.

This large-scale study confirms that the optimal level of Vitamin D is more than 50 ng/ml. I have been recommending an optimal level of vitamin D of 50-100 ng/ml for at least fifteen years, based on my vast clinical experience of treating thousands of patients with vitamin D deficiency (5).

Evidence that Vitamin D may reduce your risk of dying from COVID-19:

A large number of  excellent studies have been conducted in the hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19. Many of these studies have found that vitamin D deficiency clearly increases your risk of dying from COVID-19.

For example, researchers from Northwestern University showed a strong correlation between Vitamin D deficiency and mortality from COVID-19. According to this study, your risk of dying from COVID-19 doubles if you have vitamin D deficiency (6).

In another study from Tehran University, Iran, researchers discovered the rate of mortality from COVID-19 was 20% in patients whose blood level of vitamin D was less than 30 ng/mL whereas only 9.7% died who had a blood level of vitamin D of at least 30 ng/mL (7). In addition,  only 6.3% of the patients died with a blood level of vitamin D of 40 ng/mL or higher. In other words, the higher the level of Vitamin D, the lower the risk of dying from COVID-19. These researchers also found that patients whose vitamin D level was more than 30 ng/mL had a significant reduction in serum CRP –  a marker for inflammation – along with increased lymphocytes percentage. These findings suggest that sufficient vitamin D level may reduce the risk for cytokine storm – a common cause of death in COVID-19 patients.

A Pandemic of Vitamin D deficiency:

Sun is the main natural source of vitamin D. When UVB  – ultraviolet B – sun rays strike the naked skin, formation of vitamin D starts. After its synthesis in the skin, vitamin D gets in the blood stream and reaches the rest of the body. Sunscreens, clothing and shades interfere with this natural process of vitamin D formation. For these reason, there is a pandemic of vitamin D deficiency.

Food contain very small amounts of Vitamin D. You cannot rely on food items to raise your vitamin D level into the optimal range of 50-100 ng/ml.

How to raise Your Vitamin D level into the Optimal Range:

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends 400-800 IU as a daily dose of vitamin D (8). However, most experts, including the Endocrine Society, a prestigious organization of Endocrinologists, believe this is too small of a dose to raise vitamin D level into the sufficiency range of more than 30 ng/ml. It recommends using 4000 IU to 10,000 IU per day to treat vitamin D deficiency (9).

The most practical way to get your vitamin D level above 30 ng/ml – and preferably into the optimal range of 50-100 ng/ml – is to take vitamin D supplements.

What Dose of Vitamin D Supplement to Lower Your Risk of COVID-19?

A task force of vitamin D experts got together and gave their recommendations on the dose of vitamin D during this pandemic of Coronavirus. They advise taking a vitamin D supplement of 10,000 IU per day for a few weeks to rapidly raise vitamin D level above 40-60 ng/mL . Then continue taking 5000 IU/ per day. (10)

I recommend a daily dose of vitamin D supplement as 5000 IU per 100 Lbs. body weight, based on treating thousands of patients over a fifteen-year period. I have not encountered any case of vitamin D toxicity during this extensive clinical experience with high doses of vitamin D (5).

Vitamin D should be taken with vitamin K2, because these two vitamins reinforce each other’s actions.

In Conclusion:

Vitamin D deficiency increases your risk of catching COVID-19. But you may be able to lower your risk by taking vitamin D supplement in doses of 5000-10,000 IU per day.

Vitamin D should preferably be taken in combination with Vitamin K2 as these two vitamins reinforce each other’s actions. Learn more about Vitamin D3 with K2……

Vitamin D3 with K2 – A Perfect Combination by Dr. Z’s Vitamins

Vitamin D Toxicity – Myths versus Facts

Vitamin D Deficiency – Symptoms, Test, Treatment

References:

1. Mariangela Rondanelli ¹, Alessandra Miccono ¹, Silvia Lamburghini ¹, Ilaria Avanzato ¹, Antonella Riva ², Pietro Allegrini ², Milena Anna Faliva ¹, Gabriella Peroni ¹, Mara Nichetti ¹, Simone Perna ^1. Self-Care for Common Colds: The Pivotal Role of Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Zinc, and Echinacea in Three Main Immune Interactive Clusters (Physical Barriers, Innate and Adaptive Immunity) Involved during an Episode of Common Colds-Practical Advice on Dosages and on the Time to Take These Nutrients/Botanicals in order to Prevent or Treat Common Colds.Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2018 Apr 29;2018
2. Adrian F Gombart ¹, Niels Borregaard, H Phillip Koeffler. Human cathelicidin antimicrobial peptide (CAMP) gene is a direct target of the vitamin D receptor and is strongly up-regulated in myeloid cells by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. FASEB J. 2005 Jul;19(9):1067-77
3. Cynthia Aranow Vitamin D and the immune system. J Investig Med. 2011 Aug;59(6):881-6.
4. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0239252
5. https://www.amazon.com/Power-Vitamin-Scientific-Practical-Information/dp/1508946310/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1605118164&sr=8-9
6. https://dailynorthwestern.com/2020/05/20/campus/nu-researchers-discover-strong-correlation-between-vitamin-d-deficiency-and-covid-19-mortality-rates/
7. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0239799
8. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/
9. https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/96/7/1911/2833671
10. William B. Grant,^1,* Henry Lahore,² Sharon L. McDonnell,³ Carole A. Baggerly,³ Christine B. French,³ Jennifer L. Aliano,³ and Harjit P. Bhattoa⁴Evidence that Vitamin D Supplementation Could Reduce Risk of Influenza and COVID-19 Infections and Deaths. Nutrients. 2020 Apr; 12(4): 988