Vitamin D in kovid: one point

A recent retrospective study from the University of Chicago took a major step in the fight against COVID-19. The JAMA study looked at patients who had already been monitored for vitamin D deficiency. Those who were vitamin D deficient were twice as likely to get the coronavirus.

This may explain why minorities such as African Americans and Hispanics, whose deficiency rates are 70% and 80% respectively, contract the virus at a disproportionately high rate. This means that simply taking vitamin D supplements may be enough to prevent many people from contracting the virus.

The Spanish study is even more significant because it tracks two groups in a double-blind randomized test. Both groups tested positive for COVID-19 and have already been hospitalized for “best” medical care.

The control group was given no additional vitamin D supplementation, while the test group was given an analog of the vitamin, calcifediol, a hormone produced from vitamin D and which acts much faster.

Those who took calcifediol or a vitamin D analog were admitted to the ICU at a rate of 2% of all patients in the group, while those who did not take the vitamin D analog were admitted to the ICU at a whopping 50%. Meanwhile, 7% of patients not taking the added vitamin D died, while 0% of those taking it died.

The mechanism of action of vitamins is explained by the endocrinologist Olga Ignatova.

In Russia, due to its geographical location, there is a total shortage of vitamin D. Also, from Vladivostok to Sochi. Even the children of Sochi, all summer “wet” in the sun, need nourishment by October. Vitamin D deficiency in Spain is also experienced by employees who live in “office – car – home” mode! So for our country, vitamin D is definitely a year-round story. Last December the sun shone for a total of only 6 minutes! Remember this.

In addition, the deficit is observed in people of all ages. There is a real “boom” of vitamin D now, there is a lot of research, but we will only talk about proven effects. There are three of them:

• Influence on bone formation in a child. Prevention of osteoporosis in adults.
• Increase immunity by acting on the cells of the immune system – that is why it is used in the complex treatment of fungal and viral diseases.
• Vitamin D does not increase the risk of cancer, unlike group B, and there is quite authoritative research showing that it also reduces the risk of cancer.

Furthermore, vitamin D has a positive effect on reproductive function in men, helping to increase testosterone, the male hormone, and in women, stimulating the renewal of hair follicles and improving the composition of the stratum corneum and softening it. Therefore, it is used in the complex treatment of atopic dermatitis and psoriasis.

Vitamin D doesn’t have to be taken every day. For example, if you sprayed your throat with lugol (this is the annual rate of iodine), your body will only take the daily dose and remove the rest. But for vitamin D we have a deposit, like, for example, for iron. It can be taken once a week, once a month or even once every six months – in reserve. The easiest way to determine the required dose is to perform a blood test for vitamin D content (now the cost of the analysis is becoming more affordable). If this is not possible, focus on the average safe rate: children – 500 IU per day, adults – 800-1000 IU, menopausal women – 1000-1500. The effect is immediately visible – cheerfulness is felt, children get half sick, it is easier to get up in the morning. The main thing is to understand that you can only prescribe this inactive vitamin, cholecalceferrol D3, which the body will store and “activate” as needed. The active form of the vitamin Alfacalcidol is prescribed by doctors and only for some indications, for example, with kidney problems. In this case, the entire dose that has entered the body will “work” immediately.

Research continues, the results are favorable: allegedly, in obese people, vitamin D regulates fat metabolism and helps lose weight. According to many reports, it can also help reduce blood sugar levels in diabetics. Another area of ​​research is the effects of vitamin D on nerve tissue, which can help us advance in the treatment of neuropathic pain. There is interesting research on the prevention of depression. Furthermore, if proven effective, vitamin D can make life easier for older adults who, due to muscle weakness and dizziness, often have falls and fractures, and it is in the elderly that they often end in death. A person has broken a leg, went to bed and never gets up again, because many problems stem from a lying lifestyle at this age, for example, lung congestion and pneumonia. All of these points have not yet been included in series “guidelines for action” for doctors, but these studies have definitely gone beyond the student framework.