EbeneMagazine – FR – Covid-19: Vitamin D, waiting for a vaccine?

Since the start of the health crisis, many reviews of the scientific literature seem to confirm the interest in vitamin D supplementation, identified since 2017 by the World Health Organization as an effective method for preventing respiratory infections. One such study summarizes the following: “Adequate vitamin D supplementation should be applied in societies where vitamin D deficiency is common. There is nothing to lose from this implementation, and there is potentially a lot to be gained. . “.

At this point, WHO does not (yet) recommend such supplements to prevent Covid-19. But some countries are taking the lead. For example, in England, the government has formally asked public health agencies to make recommendations for their use in the event of a pandemic. . According to the Daily Telegraph, free doses of vitamin D are expected to be provided to 2 million elderly and frail people, starting in December and for a period of 4 months.

In Norway, the traditional cod liver oil, which is very rich in vitamin D, is of interest to researchers. Last week the University of Oslo hospital invited 70,000 volunteers for the mega-study which will end in April 2021. Half of the 70,000 participants will take cod liver oil every day, while the other half will receive a placebo. Participants will not be told which group they belong to, ”determines which hospital wants to evaluate the potential benefits of cod liver oil on Covid-19, but also on the flu and the common cold.

A trial is underway at Angers University Hospital. The CoVit-Trial project, coordinated by the CHU unit and involving patients from 8 other hospitals, aims to “evaluate the effectiveness of high-dose administration of vitamin D compared to the standard dose in elderly patients with Covid19”. The clinical trial will end. early 2021 and its conclusions are eagerly awaited due to the high level of evidence this study can provide.No data from an interventional study available in the elderly.

In early October, in a study published in Nutrients, the CHU geriatrics team concluded that regular vitamin D supplementation in elderly, frail and hospitalized patients with Covid-19 was associated with a lower incidence. extreme and best survival. This work included 77 patients.

Find out: According to the public version of the Vidal Medical Dictionary, “An overdose of vitamin D causes nausea, headache, muscle and bone pain, heart arrhythmias, and calcium deposits in the kidneys, blood vessels, heart and lungs. Serious kidney problems can appear. life-threatening These side effects appear as soon as the daily intake exceeds 50,000 IU, which is equivalent to 1.25 mg per day.

Cod liver oil, coronavirus, vitamin D and vitamin