Can Vitamin D Prevent Severe Diseases?

Can Vitamin D Help Us Fight the Coronavirus Outbreak? In March, Dr Emmanuelle Faucon from Toulon spoke for the first time about the importance of this vitamin against Covid-19. Jean-Marc Sabatier (research director at the CNRS in Marseille) and Cédric Annweiler (head of the geriatrics department of the University Hospital of Angers) then looked into the matter.

Since then, they’ve already published a dozen articles to their credit, but their conclusions are just starting to resonate. Is Vitamin D a serious way to fight the pandemic?

• What is Vitamin D?

Vitamin D, whose chemical name is calciferol, is a fat-soluble prohormone. It facilitates the absorption of calcium and phosphorus by the intestine and kidneys and helps fight the risk of osteoporosis. Vitamin D also improves muscle strength and strengthens the immune system.

• Where can we find it?

Vitamin D exists in two main forms: D.₂ and D_3. It is present in various foods of animal origin (D.₃) such as cod liver oil and fatty fish (salmon, tuna, herring, anchovies, halibut, sardines, mackerel). It is found in butter, margarine, eggs, calf’s liver. It is also produced by plants (D.₂) (some mushrooms), but at a lower dose.

Sun exposure, UVB rays, is a source of vitamin D.₃. The vitamin is then synthesized by the skin.

#Confinement – Vitamin D plays an essential role in health and strengthening our immune system.
L ‘@Anses_fr recalls the importance of ensuring sufficient supplies during imprisonment but also throughout the year.

➡ https://t.co/oudXm6MZuU pic.twitter.com/XJjHVa3byQ

– Anses (@Anses_fr) April 17, 2020

In 2018, the French Food Safety Agency (ANSES) recommended a daily intake of 15 µg / day for adult men and women.

Very often, and especially in the non-summer period, food is not enough. Food supplements in vitamin D (vitamin D3, cholecalciferol) compensate for any deficiencies.

• How could it be useful against Covid-19?

Jean-Marc Sabatier, research director at the CNRS in Marseille and doctor of biochemistry, believes that a sufficient level of vitamin D could reduce the likelihood of moving towards severe forms of Covid-19. In March, when Dr. Faucon raised the importance of this vitamin, he made the link with the mode of action of Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) which attacks a very important system in our body: the renin-system. angiotensin.

In June, Jean-Marc Sabatier published two articles on the renin-angiotensin system with Cédric Annweiler and Emmanuelle Faucon as co-signatories, but also the two directors of the Wuhan virology laboratory.

When a person becomes infected, the virus attaches itself to a receptor called ACEII. The role of this receptor is to degrade a peptide, angiotensin 2. However, when the virus is present, degradation is hindered and there is too much angiotensin. The renin-angiotensin system then runs, “which is responsible for all the diseases of Covid 19“: lung, heart, testicular problems, vascular problems, dermatological disorders …

This is where vitamin D plays a vital role, according to the researcher. As a negative regulator, “brakes the renin-angiotensin system when it is carried away by the virus”explains Jean-Marc Sabatier. She “acts as a regulator” is “counterbalances the deleterious effects of the virus”.

If the infected individual is deficient in vitamin D, “like most people”, the virus will further accentuate this deficiency and the person may progress to severe forms of Covid 19. Indeed, the renin-angiotensin system (which runs with the virus) is “the n ° 1 system for the functioning of the body, controls everything”, ensure Jean-Marc Sabatier.

According to the French Academy of Medicine, 41% of the French population lacks vitamin D in winter. So it would be “Very important” for everyone to take a vitamin D supplement: “From 3,000 to 4,000 IU per day”, assures the scientific director of the Coronaviruses journal.

• Does it have other virtues?

In a second article, the two French scientists highlighted the importance of vitamin D in the immune system and in particular for the so-called “innate” immunity, the first barrier to infections.

If the vitamin D level is too low, innate immunity may not function properly. Vitamin D is a kind of “fuel” of our innate immunity. As a result, so-called “adaptive” immunity (found in vaccines), which is driven by innate immunity and which will fight against the pathogen, is affected.

Furthermore, when the immune system is damaged, the cells of this system are no longer able to recognize the proteins of the self and the non-self, which triggers autoimmune diseases. Vitamin D can help prevent this by helping the immune system function properly.

• How did the researchers get these results?

The two French researchers produced an observational study “fortuitous”, “almost experimental” in an Ehpad in the Rhone shortly before he was struck by a significant Covid-19 infection. “It is a combination of circumstances that at the time of the infection, some people had taken vitamin D shortly before”explains Jean-Marc Sabatier.

The researchers noted that people who recently took a vitamin D supplement were less likely to contract a severe form of Covid 19. This study appeared in November 2020 in The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Another study had previously been conducted by Cédric Annweiler, head of the geriatric service at Angers University Hospital, on the observation of 77 patients positive for Covid-19. In his conclusions, he notes that the survival rate is better for people who have received long-term vitamin D. His study titled “Geria-Covid” was published in the scientific journal Nutrients on Monday 2 November. However, with such a small sample, it is difficult to be totally categorical.

• Are other studies going in the same direction?

Several studies have recently looked into the subject. Researchers at the Medical University of Chicago published their work in the Jama Network Open medical journal in September. They conclude that the risk of contracting Covid-19 was nearly double for people with vitamin D deficiency than for those with sufficient levels.

In Norway, researchers have started a clinical trial to determine whether cod liver oil, rich in vitamin D, could have beneficial effects on Covid-19, details The world. A decision taken following an important investigation launched in March at the Oslo hospital during which 150,000 people, of which 2,000 positive for the virus, answered a questionnaire. Their responses show that regular consumers of cod liver oil are significantly less contaminated and become less severely ill when infected.

A six-month study has also recently been launched in England: 5,000 people will receive treatment by post during the winter and then analyze their resistance to the virus.

In France, the “Covid-Trial” clinical trial, which has been underway since April, is also looking into the matter. It needs to consider 260 Covid-19 patients, over the age of 65 (150 have been included to date), recalls Western France. “The goal is to know, on a fourteen-day scale, the effects of a high dose of vitamin D compared to a standard dose on patient survival”, explains Professor Cédric Annweiler, who coordinates this new study in which nine other hospitals in France participate.

Meanwhile, in an article published on October 2, the WHO advises against the use of vitamin D as a treatment for Covid-19. “There is not enough data, he argues. More research is needed to determine the possible role that vitamin D deficiency may play in the prevention and treatment of Covid-19 “.

• What is the position of France?

If Jean-Marc Sabatier claims to have written to the government several times to convey the results of his study, the latter has not yet taken a stand. The French National Academy of Medicine, however, confirmed the link between vitamin D and Covid-19 in a May 22 publication. “Vitamin D cannot be considered a preventive or curative treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection, but by mitigating the inflammatory storm and its consequences, it could be considered as an adjunct to any form of therapy.“The institute recommends taking vitamin D in people with Covid-19. “It doesn’t mean if you take vitamin D you don’t get the virus., Jean-Marc Sabatier wishes to underline. But let’s avoid getting into serious forms “.