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    • Vitamin D could be a piece of COVID-19's 'complex puzzle,' Israeli scientists say, after a new study finds a link between deficiency and severe illness
    • Vitamin D deficiency tied to increased COVID-19 risk, unique UF data study finds
    • Dr. Zorba Paster: Vitamin D deficiency connected to COVID-19 cases
    • Study suggests high vitamin D levels may protect against COVID-19, especially for Black people
    • 1 in 4 COVID patients hospitalized while vitamin D deficient die – Israeli study
    • Vitamin D and COVID-19 Research
    • Minister urged to recommend vitamin D supplements in Covid-19 strategy
    • Other countries are treating COVID patients with probiotics and vitamin D — why aren’t we?
    • MP David Davis calls for Vitamin D therapy to be rolled out 'immediately' after study finds it can 'reduce Covid deaths by up to 60%'
    • Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19 Have Low Levels of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D
    • Vitamin D, other everyday vitamins could counter coronavirus effects:.
    • Experts send Vitamin D and Covid-19 open letter to world's governments
    • A Functional Medicine Approach To Protect Against the Flu
    • Over 80% of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients Have Vitamin D Deficiency, Study Finds
    • Vitamin D helps the body fight coronavirus, major Israeli study claims
    • Vitamin D deficiency increased risk of COVID in healthcare workers, new study shows
    • People With Low Vitamin D More Likely to Have COVID, Study Finds
    • Vitamin D for COVID-19: a case to answer?
    • Vitamin D helps the body fight coronavirus, major Israeli study claims
    • Researchers investigating possible link between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19
    • UK public health bodies reviewing vitamin D's effects on coronavirus
    • Parents can help children deal with coronavirus-related anxiety
    • Does Vitamin D Protect Against More Severe Complications of Coronavirus?
    • Should people take vitamin D to ward off the new coronavirus?
    • Can taking Vitamin D save your life?
    • People with low vitamin D levels more likely to die from coronavirus, study finds
    • COVID-19: Vitamin D Linked to COVID-19 Deaths
    • Vitamin D Defense – Protection against COVID-19
    • GET YOUR VITAMINS Scientists investigate link between coronavirus survival rates and Vitamin D
    • FOODVitamin D and Coronavirus
    • Low Vitamin D Levels Linked To Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
    • 'Take Vitamin-D' says government as evidence emerges it could help fight coronavirus symptoms
    • Low Vitamin D linked to poor lung function
    • Study finds Vitamin D can build coronavirus resistance
    • Vitamin D may help reduce the risk of the coronavirus, study says
    • Can Vitamin D Lower Your Risk of COVID-19?
    • A lesson from the 1918 influenza pandemic!
    • Vitamin D: Deficiency May Increase Coronavirus Infection Risk
    • Research finds vitamin D is important for respiratory health
  • Breast Cancer
    • Breast cancer: Vitamin D could lower risk by 21% in Black and Hispanic women
    • Vitamin D and Breast Cancer Survival: What You Should Know
    • High intake of vitamin D, calcium and phosphorus may reduce breast cancer risk
    • Obesity and Vitamin D Deficiency May Indicate Greater Risk for Breast Cancer
    • Women with high levels of vitamin D ‘are almost a third more likely to survive breast cancer’
    • Fact Check: Breast Cancer and Nutritional Supplements
    • Vitamin D Deficiency May Promote Spread of Some Breast Cancers
    • Vitamin D may double chances of surviving breast cancer
    • OMEGA-3s Inhibit Breast Cancer Tumour Growth, U of G Study Finds
    • Probiotics and Cancer
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    • Headline news, the latest stories >
      • 9 things that could happen if you're not getting enough vitamin D
      • Vitamin D: Recent research uncovers new benefits
      • Start the Week Off Right: Get more Vitamin D in your diet
      • Vitamin D deficiency – who is at risk?
      • Men who have good levels of vitamin D in their bachelor years will have healthy and strong kids, study finds
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      • Nearly 1 billion people lacking vitamin D
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      • Vitamin D and probiotics, perfect friends
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      • All Scots advised to take vitamin D says new health guidance
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      • Vitamin D can help you be strong and healthy
    • Cancer >
      • Study finds association between vitamin D, BMI and advanced cancer
      • Study Finds Vitamin D Supplements Reduce Risk of Developing Advanced Cancer
      • Effect of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level on lung, breast, colorectal and prostate cancers: a nested case-control study
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      • High Dose Vitamin D Beneficial For Colon Cancer
      • Prompting leukemia cells to die
      • Everything You Need to Know About Vitamin D and Cancer Prevention
      • Obesity and Vitamin D Deficiency May Indicate Greater Risk for Breast Cancer
      • Higher Vitamin D Levels Associated With Lower Risks Of Liver Cancer And Death From Chronic Liver Disease
      • More the Vitamin D, lesser the breast cancer risk
      • Scientists detect new ovarian cancer target
      • Higher vitamin D levels cut colorectal cancer risk
      • Vitamin D linked to lower risk of cancer- study
      • More vitamin D may be associated with lower cancer risk
      • New study suggests link between low vitamin D status and increased risk of ovarian cancer
      • Vitamin D relieves joint, muscle pain for breast cancer patients
      • Low Vitamin D Linked to Bladder Cancer
      • Low vitamin D levels increase risk for bladder cancer
      • Can Vitamin D prevent colon cancer?
      • Vitamin D fights pancreatic cancer
      • Vitamin D levels can affect aggressiveness of melanomas
      • Pancreatic Cancer Survical
      • TNBC
      • Vitamin D Melanoma
    • Childrens Health >
      • High-Dose Vitamin D Well Tolerated in Pediatric Patients
      • Why it’s so hard to identify seasonal depression in kids, and how to help
      • Vitamin D During Pregnancy May Benefit Children’s Bones
      • Vitamin D Deficiency linked to Anxiety and depression in Teens
      • Vitamin D During Pregnancy May Improve Dental Health of Babies
      • Newborns with Vitamin D Deficiency Have Higher Risk of Later Schizophrenia
      • Vitamin D-rich Diet May Decrease Cholesterol in Kids
      • Vitamin D Supplements To Curb Rise In Rickets
      • High vitamin D levels linked to lower cholesterol in children
      • Study Links Low Vitamin D Levels with Fracture Susceptibility and Severity
      • Vitamin D deficiency associated with pediatric obesity
      • Can Vitamin D Deficiency in Children Affect the Severity of Illnesses?
      • Can Vitamin D Reduce Risk of Pre-eclampsia in Pregnancy?
      • Warning to pregnant women on vitamin D: Shortages leads to children with poor motor skills
      • Development fears for children of expectant mothers with low vitamin D levels
      • Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy tied to autism risk
      • Another reason for obese children to go outside: Overweight youngsters with a vitamin D deficiency at risk of heart disease as they grow older
      • Taking Vitamin D During Pregnancy Shows Promise in Preventing Autism
      • Vitamin D deficiency found in children with digestive disorder, UMass study finds
      • Vitamin D deficiency in children exponentially increased in recent years, study finds
      • Maternal Preferences for Vitamin D Supplementation in Breastfed Infants
      • Prenatal Vitamin D Could Lower Baby's ADHD Risk, While Some Diabetes Drugs May do the Opposite
      • Neonatal Vitamin D Levels Appear to Affect MS Risk Later in Life
      • Vitamin D May Improve Symptoms in Children with Autism
      • October is Children’s Health Month
      • Vitamin D Intake During Pregnancy May Protect Against ADHD in Children
      • Regular vitamins likely unnecessary for children with healthy diets, doctor says
      • VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY LEADS TO STRESS FRACTURES IN 15-YEAR-OLD
      • Breastfeeding Moms Aren't Getting Enough of This Essential Vitamin
      • Why children’s allergies are on the rise and how dirt may hold key to reducing cases
      • Babies born to mothers with lack of Vitamin D 'more likely to have learning difficulties'
      • Vitamin D reduces Wheezing
      • Vitamin deficiencies may be linked to migraines in children
      • Vitamin D and MS
      • Less body fat for toddlers taking vitamin D
    • Sports & Endurance >
      • How Optimizing Your Vitamin D Status Promotes Muscle Health & Function
      • Reevaluating Vitamin D as a Sports Supplement
      • The Risks of Being Vitamin D Deficient as an Athlete
      • Vitamin D levels in blood tied to cardiorespiratory fitness
      • What We Know About Vitamin D and Performance
      • Girls with high level of vitamin D have stronger muscles
      • Increased vitamin D intake improves muscle strength and athletic performance
      • Low vitamin D levels associated with higher risk of muscle strain among elite-level football players
      • Are athletes realizing the importance of vitamin D before the general public?
      • Why Vitamin D Is Extra Important for Athletes
      • Optimizing athletic performance through research
      • Nearly 60% Of College Football Athletes Don’t Get Enough D
      • A spotlight on vitamin D
      • High levels of vitamin D may improve muscle strength
      • Low levels of vitamin D may increase risk of fractures in active people
      • Why Vitamin D Is Extra Important for Athletes
      • Low Vitamin D weaker athlete
      • Vitamin D profile in National Football League players.
      • Endurance and D
      • Peak Athletic Performance and Vitamin D
    • General Health >
      • Vitamin D Supplements Linked to Slower Epigenetic Aging
      • Many of us have a vitamin D deficiency and don't know it
      • Vitamin D Helps Modulate Blood Sugar & Promotes Metabolic Health
      • Vitamin D and marine omega 3 fatty acid supplementation and incident autoimmune disease: VITAL randomized controlled trial
      • HEALTH AND WELLNESS The 4 vitamins and supplements this immunologist takes every day to strengthen her immune system: ‘Your body will thank you’
      • If You've Hit A Wall Combating Dry Skin, You May Be Lacking This Vitamin
      • Vitamin D supplements lower risk of autoimmune disease, researchers say
      • Vitamin D3, but not D2, linked to improved immunity
      • Vitamin D and fish oil supplements reduce risk of autoimmune conditions
      • Vitamin D deficiency visible for the first time in teeth after cremation
      • Body pain and tiredness? Could be lack of vitamin D
      • This Little-Known Factor Doubles (Or More) Your Vitamin D Needs
      • 5 Vitamin D Benefits You Should Know About
      • Vitamin D Benefits
      • 7 Reasons to make sure you get enough Vitamin D Accoring to the Doctors
      • Very high dosages of vitamin D may delay frailty in old age
      • Vitamin D deficiency: Could a lack of the sunshine vitamin be causing your cold?
      • Hidden hunger: the crucial health role of Omega 3 and Vitamin D
      • Vitamin D: the superstar of prevention
      • Is Dry Skin A Sign Of Vitamin D Deficiency? Know How It Can Affect Your Skin
      • Coping with seasonal affective disorder
      • Skin Warning Signs That May Indicate You Have Vitamin D Deficiency
      • Vitamin D increases protection against infection, new model suggests
      • Vitamin D deficiency linked with increased risk of death, particularly from diabetes: study
      • People with diabetes, hypertension are Vitamin D deficit: Study
      • Intake of vitamin D supplementation may slow diabetes progression
      • New study sheds light on the role of vitamin D in muscle cells
      • Why you can't absorb vitamin D through a sunny window
      • Vitamin D Benefits That’ll Make You Take the Nutrient More Seriously
      • 5 tips to improve your cognitive functions
      • 5 Ways Women Can Keep Their Bones Healthy
      • Flu Prevention Tips
      • Vitamin D Deficiency Linked to Disease Severity, Mortality Risk in IPF Patients
      • 6 Health Problems That Are Caused Due To Vitamin D Deficiency
      • Vitamin D deficiency - does your hair look like this? Warning signs of deficiency revealed
      • Winter Increases Risk Of High Blood Pressure
      • 4 smart tricks to overcome chronic fatigue syndrome without popping pills
      • What can a psychiatrist tell us about vitamin D?
      • Vitamin D for Asthma
      • Researchers discover a new gear in life's clock: Vitamin D
      • Can vitamin D prevent the flu?
      • Vitamin D: It’s that time of the year
      • What's the link between cold weather and the common cold?
      • 11 Sneaky Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency
      • Are you smarter in summer? Brain health changes with the seasons
      • What's the link between vitamin D, gum health, and diabetes?
      • Infection Risk Lower in Dialysis Patients with High, Normal Vitamin D
      • Researchers Find Link Between Vitamin D and Asbestosis
      • We Can Thank Poor Evolutionary Design for Vitamin D Deficiencies
      • Vitamin D deficiency ups diabetes risk in women: Study
      • REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD BE TAKING VITAMIN D SERIOUSLY
      • Is vitamin D deficiency to blame for lung disease?
      • Many people lack Vitamin D — even in the Sunshine State
      • Vitamin D deficiency may up diabetes risk
      • Low Vitamin D Linked to Metabolic Syndrome in Postmenopausal Women
      • Vitamin D deficiency: How to reverse a shortfall and stop painful symptoms
      • Vitamin D could provide psoriasis relief
      • Is vitamin D really a cure-all – and how should we get our fix?
      • Study confirms vitamin D protects against colds and flu
      • The Benefits of Vitamin D – Why It’s the Sexiest Vitamin Around
      • Research finds vitamin D is important for respiratory health
      • Is Vitamin D Really Effective For Cold and Flu
      • Vitamin D deficiency: 6 symptoms
      • Vitamin D could help millions of people with irritable bowel syndrome
      • Frailty not ‘inevitable result of ageing’, can be reversed
      • Should ALL pregnant women take vitamin D?
      • Vitamin D supplementation may be more effective than sun exposure at raising vitamin D levels
      • Study confirms vitamin D protects against colds and flu
      • 7 Benefits of Vitamin D You Might Want to Know About
      • Could Fish Oil, Vitamin D Help Ease Lupus?
      • Study confirms vitamin D protects against colds and flu
      • Are YOU vitamin D deficient? 6 signs even your doctor might miss
      • Top Myths of Vitamin D
      • Vitamin D May Lower Asthma Attack Risks
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      • The Shocking Truth About Vitamin D Deficiency And Its Repercussions
      • Vitamin D Might Be The Key Ingredient In Vitiligo Treatment
      • Vitamin D insufficiency linked to lower virologic response in HBV
      • BACK TO SCHOOL COLD PREVENTION
      • Too little vitamin D may hinder recovery of injured corneas
      • Gut reaction to a healthy life
      • Low Vitamin D Levels Increases the Risk for Chronic Headaches
      • Vitamin D Levels Predict Multiple Sclerosis Progression
      • Study Links Certain Jobs to Vitamin D Deficiency
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      • Daily fruit smoothie helps couples trying to start a family
      • Vitamin D deficiency could cause deadly diseases, warn UAE doctors
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      • Vitamin D Helps Friendly Bacteria Repopulate The Gut, Making It The Perfect Campanion To Probiotic Supplements
      • Sunscreen ‘is making us vitamin D deficient’, controversial study claims
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      • Doctor’s Tip: The low-down on vitamin D
      • Pet vet: Understanding the importance of vitamin D for pets
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      • Can A Vitamin Deficiency Cause Depression?
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      • What is rickets, what causes the condition, is there a cure and how can I prevent Vitamin D deficiency?
      • Sunshine vitamin linked to fewer heart events: Meta­-analysis
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      • ‘Proof’ that Vitamin D can fight flu
      • Sunshine Is The Natural Treatment For Preventing Pre-diabetes, Type 2 Diabetes and More In Children and Adults
      • Vitamin D is not just beneficial, it’s a necessity
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      • We all need the Vitamin D
      • 7 Signs and Symptoms of Vitamin D Deficiency People Often Ignore
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      • High Levels of Vitamin D Supplements May Help Improve Lung Function in CF Patients, Study Shows
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      • High quality evidence suggests vitamin D can reduce asthma attacks
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    • Heart Health >
      • STUDY NAILS DOWN A LINK BETWEEN VITAMIN D AND HEART HEALTH
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    • Neurological health >
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    • ​Weight Managment >
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Researchers investigating possible link between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19

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For months, many of us have stayed home on the advice of health experts, quarantining indoors to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Now some researchers are investigating the possibility that spending a little more time in the sun could actually help prevent COVID-19. 

That's because sunshine is a key ingredient for our bodies to make vitamin D. 

After seeing a correlation between severe COVID-19 patients and vitamin D deficiency, the researchers hypothesized that the vitamin, absorbed through sunlight by the skin, could play a role in helping the body's immune system fight the novel coronavirus.

An earlier observational study of 499 patients by the University of Chicago found that patients with untreated vitamin D deficiencies were almost twice as likely to test positive for COVID-19 compared to those with enough vitamin D.


More research is needed still, and it's also unclear whether low vitamin D levels are simply an effect of severe disease, rather than a cause.

"The correlation is not causation. So we need to actually do a clinical trial," said Arizona State University researcher James Adams.

The question at the heart of these trials is, does vitamin D deficiency cause severe COVID-19 symptoms, or is vitamin D deficiency just another symptom of COVID-19?​

Adams's theory is that rather than treating COVID-19 symptoms after the fact, vitamin D could play a role in preventing serious infections —resulting in milder infections or perhaps no infection at all. To test this, he is running a preliminary study of vitamin D in COVID-19 patients in conjunction with the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. 

In the phase one clinical trial, researchers will administer supplemental vitamin D for two weeks to participants who have tested positive for COVID-19 but have not yet developed severe symptoms. All participants in the study must also show a vitamin D deficiency in initial screenings.

After two weeks, researchers will measure participants' vitamin D levels and measure any changes in the severity of COVID-19 symptoms. The study will continue to track symptoms at four weeks and six weeks after initial treatment.

In addition to measuring vitamin D, the study will also measure other cells that are important for overall health, such as vitamin C.

Low levels can go unnoticed
Vitamin D deficiencies are more common than one might think, according to naturopathic doctor Sarah Trahan, who works at the college and is collaborating with Adams on the study.

"Generally anyone we test, if they're not supplementing, they're deficient," she said.

Many of these deficiencies tend to go unnoticed, according to Lise Alschuler, a naturopathic doctor at the University of Arizona's Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine.

While deficiencies become more obvious when patients have less than 20 nanograms of vitamin D per milliliter of blood, she said many of her patients have between 20 and 30 nanograms per mL, which is less than the 40-50 nanograms per mL that she considers ideal.

"So they're not going to get rickets, but they're going to have insufficient vitamin D for optimal health," Alschuler said. "And that's where a lot of people fall, even in Arizona, surprisingly, because we have so much sun."

Screening for vitamin D deficiency is not done as frequently by physicians as Alschuler would hope, but it's something she is working to raise more awareness about.

Deficiencies in vitamin D tend to be more prevalent among those who are older, obese or who have darker colored skin. So far, people in these categories have also been linked with disproportionate rates of severe COVID-19 and COVID-19 related deaths. 

"These are all three major risk factors with COVID-19, and they all relate to vitamin D," Adams said.

Older people tend to make less vitamin D, whereas the melanin in darker skin blocks more UV rays from the sun, which are needed to make vitamin D, according to Trahan.

According to a CDC study published in 2006, 21% of non-Hispanic white people are at risk of having inadequate levels of vitamin D, versus 73% of Black people and 42% of Hispanic people.

The higher rate of deficiency among overweight people is thought to be because vitamin D dissolves in fat, so more vitamin D is being absorbed by fat cells and not going into the bloodstream.

Vitamin D deficiencies may not be to blame for the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on these populations. There could be other factors at play such as socioeconomic status, genetics or increased presence of other diseases.

Vitamin supplements are one option
Still, Adams thinks it's worth investigating, especially since administering normal doses of vitamin D is extremely safe and relatively cheap. 

"Let's try to make the immune system as healthy as possible," he said. "If someone has a weakened immune system because of vitamin D deficiency, then other treatments like vaccines may not work as well."

Rather than being the main treatment to prevent or cure COVID-19, Adams sees vitamin D as a potential supplemental treatment in addition to drugs or vaccines, especially since it is thought to play a role in immune system health.

While vitamin D has no serious risks when taken at the right levels, Trahan cautioned against taking too much supplemental vitamin D. Taking too much could increase the risk for kidney damage, kidney stones or other complications from too much calcium buildup in the blood.

To get a normal level naturally, Trahan said people with lighter skin can go outside in the middle of the day for about 15 minutes without sunscreen on, since sunscreen blocks vitamin D absorption. For those with darker skin, she said it may take about twice as long to get normal levels from the sun.

Because unprotected sun exposure could increase the risk for skin cancer, taking supplements as an alternative is typically fine if a person takes less than 4,000 international units of vitamin D daily, according to Martin Hewison, a professor at the University of Birmingham in the U.K. who has studied the vitamin for years.

"There has never been a single example of any toxic side effects in anybody taking less than 4,000 international units per day," he said.

Understanding the role of vitamin D
While vitamin D is often thought of as important for calcium absorption and bone health, its exact function in the immune system is not fully understood and needs to be further researched.

Many cells in the body have vitamin D receptors, which are areas on the cell that vitamin D can bind with.

"Those receptors, they're like a basket, and when it catches a vitamin D ball, basically the receptor activates and it creates actions within the cell," Alschuler said.

One effect is that vitamin D seems to help initiate an inflammatory response in cells, but also regulate inflammation to keep it in check, according to Alschuler. In particular, vitamin D may be able to suppress inflammatory signals called cytokines. Targeting inflammatory cytokines is important because an over-release of these signals causes an immune system overreaction, known as cytokine storms, which have been blamed for many COVID-19 deaths and damaging side effects.

But vitamin D also interacts with other key cells in the immune system, according to Hewison.

"It's a good jack of all trades," Hewison said. "It helps in all the places where you'd want it to...it's not just a one-trick pony."

People with lower levels of vitamin D seem less able to make a protein called cathelicidin, which helps destroy the outside membrane or envelope of bacterias and viruses.

"It just punches holes in the membranes of the bacteria and kills them," Hewison explained.

Vitamin D also helps promote what is essentially an immune system housekeeping process called autophagy, where the body removes damaged or failing cells and recycles them to create newer, healthier cells, Hewison said. This process can help eliminate invading organisms from the body, he said.

One study Hewison worked on suggested that vitamin D could control iron levels inside a cell, which help give the cell energy but can be taken advantage of by viruses that enter the cell. In the case of a viral infection, he said the vitamin appears to help iron leave the cell so that it does not get hijacked for use by the virus.

'We know its potential'
While these findings are intriguing, Hewison said there has not been much success with using vitamin D for infection treatment.

"This is more important for long term preventative measures," he said. "Once you've got the disease...does it work really as well as we think? I think the simple answer is no."

He says this is because once an infection gets into a body's system, the bacteria or virus will try to evade immune system responses promoted by vitamin D.

He added that there is no clear-cut evidence that vitamin D supplements would prevent COVID-19, but that further studies were needed.

"We know its potential. The real issue is going to be getting some good studies that answer a key question," he said. "Is vitamin D deficiency a causative factor in these sorts of diseases or are the diseases actually contributing to vitamin D deficiency?"

As someone who has been taking 2,000 international units of vitamin D daily for years and hasn't had a cold or cough since, Hewison is certainly a believer in the potential preventative power of vitamin D, but some in the scientific community are more skeptical, making obtaining funding for further studies a challenge.

However, he thinks that in the case of this pandemic, it's worth investigating any potential benefits, especially one this cheap and plentiful.

"What have you got to lose?" he said.

Further study is needed
Rather than wait for grant funding, which can take months, researchers at ASU are fundraising money for their study, which has enrolled 40 participants. Adams said they hope to get funding to enroll an additional 60 participants so that they can get better statistical results.

Since the study is not giving placebos to any participants, it's possible that any recorded benefits could just be the result of a bias called the placebo effect. In other words, improvements could result from a belief in the treatment, rather than as a result of the treatment itself. Without a placebo, there is no control baseline to measure the treatment against.

To better analyze the data, Adams said researchers will compare it to historical data of COVID-19 symptom development.

Another potential issue with this study is that participants must be able to speak English. This could lead to an overrepresentation of white participants.

However, Adams said the study is open to all races and ethnicities and that approximately 40% of the participants enrolled so far are minorities, and many of them are Hispanic. The reason for the English requirement, he said, is that including more languages in the study would require hiring additional staff and translators.

"We would have to have all aspects of the process done by someone who is fluent in that language," he said. "It would be so much more expensive."

The research team hopes to complete the study in another month or two, and if it goes well, Adams hopes to do a placebo-controlled study of 10,000 participants. He plans to submit a proposal to the National Institutes of Health to secure more funding for the next stage of study.

Instead of enrolling people who have tested positive for COVID-19, he said the phase 2 study would enroll those who haven't yet tested positive for COVID-19. The study would compare participants who received a placebo with those who received vitamin D to see if the latter group has lower rates of COVID-19 after a six month period.

While he hopes these studies will show a positive impact in lowering the rate of COVID-19, Adams is not marketing vitamin D as a cure to stop the pandemic and believes that if it proves effective, it will be just one piece of the puzzle.

"We hope that we can reduce their severity of symptoms," Adams said. "We're not recommending this as a treatment now, we're saying this is a treatment we think is worth investigating."

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-science/2020/07/22/coronavirus-research-study-link-between-vitamin-d-deficiency-covid-19/5445070002/

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