Press review of the pandemic – Vitamin D to prevent severe forms of Covid-19

Several studies have shown the beneficial effects of this sun-supplied vitamin to counter the inflammatory storm of severe forms of the disease.

Olivier Bot

Posted today at 08:37

“Would Vitamin D Prevent Severe Covid-19?” The idea begins to take hold abroad, after the publication of several studies on this topic ”, observes the French magazine“ L’Express ”. In England, the government is preparing to give free vitamin D to 2 million vulnerable people, the UK newspaper “The Telegraph” recently revealed. In Scotland, a similar decision was made a few weeks ago. Each cure could last about four months for those affected. Distribution could begin in December, according to British health minister Matt Hancock.

According to several studies, low levels of vitamin D, which our body produces in response to high exposure to sunlight, can lead to a greater risk of contracting Covid-19 and suffering from severe forms “, reports the Guardian”. The vitamin helps the body maintain normal calcium and phosphate levels, keeping bones, teeth and muscles healthy. Although the WHO does not yet recommend its use for the treatment of severe forms of Covid, it believes it can help prevent respiratory tract infections. According to a study conducted by the University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, among 216 patients infected with the coronavirus, 80% of them had a vitamin D deficiency.

“There is growing evidence that vitamin D could reduce the risk of respiratory infections, with some recent studies suggesting that people with lower vitamin D levels may be more affected by the coronavirus,” says Adrien Martineau, lead researcher on the study. 5,000 people led by Queen Mary University. Another larger study will also be launched in Norway to look at the virtues of cod liver oil, which contains vitamin D in large quantities, announces the newspaper “Le Monde”.

Jean-Marc Sabatier, research director at the CNRS in Marseille and a doctor of biochemistry, has published several articles on the effects of vitamin D on the coronavirus. He believes it “serves as a regulator and counterbalances the deleterious effects of the virus.”

In France, the Academy of Medicine had ruled on the matter on May 22. “Vitamin D cannot be considered a preventive or curative treatment for the infection caused by Sars-CoV-2; but by mitigating the inflammatory storm and its consequences, it could be considered as an adjuvant to any form of therapy ”, reads a statement.

Posted today at 08:37