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Huge doses of vitamin D will not cure or protect you from the coronavirus, a new report says

May 29, 2020, 23:04 IST
Insider
Sunshine, not supplements, is your best bet for vitamin D, some experts say.Crystal Cox/Business Insider
  • Despite some research linking vitamin D to better outcomes in cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, massive amounts of the nutrient will not cure or prevent the disease, according to a report published May 13 in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health.
  • Although vitamin D has a role in the supporting the immune system, the evidence for its role in fighting infections like the coronavirus is complicated.
  • Too much vitamin D from supplements can cause other health issues, including kidney damage.
  • More research is needed to understand how nutrients like vitamin D play a role in helping the immune system fend off viral illnesses like COVID-19.
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Amid the constant deluge of advertisements for supplements to "boost" your immune system, vitamin D has recently taken center stage — it's naturally produced by the body when you get enough sunlight, and some research has shown it seems to correlate with better odds of having a mild case of the coronavirus.

But large doses of vitamin D, from sunbathing or popping vitamin pills, isn't a panacea against this or any other virus, according to a report published May 13 in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health.

Researchers from the UK, the US, and Europe collaborated on the report, which urges the public to be wary of exaggerated claims about vitamin D. The report also calls for more robust scientific evidence to evaluate how the vitamin might impact patients with COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

"Although there is some evidence that low vitamin D is associated with acute respiratory tract infections, there is currently insufficient evidence for vitamin D as a treatment for COVID-19 and over-supplementing must be avoided as it could be harmful," Carolyn Greig, coauthor of the study and professor of aging and health at the University of Birmingham in the UK, said in a statement.

The link between vitamin D and the ability to fight off viral illness is still uncertain

While past research has found a lack of vitamin D may be associated with viral illnesses like seasonal colds and flus, the causal link between the nutrient and the ability to fight infection is uncertain.

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That's because the evidence shows a correlation but not a causation between vitamin D and infection, meaning that we can't yet say for certain that vitamin D is what explains better health outcomes.

For that to be possible, researchers would need to perform more formal systematic reviews and meta-analyses to study the available data, according to the report.

Many factors could explain why vitamin D deficiency has been linked to illness in past research. In a preprint study that found vitamin D deficiencies were linked to a higher rate of deaths from coronavirus, for instance, it could be that higher death rates were caused by a higher population of the elderly (who are more likely to lack vitamin D, and are also more susceptible to getting sick) or by differing government responses to the outbreak.

And there's no evidence that added vitamin D can somehow supercharge your body and maximize your odds of fighting off the coronavirus.

Too much of it, in fact, is demonstrably bad for your health, the report cautions. Massive doses of vitamin D (60,000 international units a day, or 10 times the recommended amount) can cause a toxic buildup of calcium and lead to kidney issues, according to the Mayo Clinic.

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That's not to say vitamin D isn't important — it's still an essential nutrient for good health, and it's possible to become deficient if you're stuck indoors without access to sunshine. But if you're otherwise getting enough of the vitamin, overloading on vitamin D won't do you any favors, researchers concluded. It's better to focus on other preventative measures for fending off COVID-19, such as social distancing and keeping good hygiene.

Read more:

Take vitamin D supplements to make up for lost sunshine while quarantined indoors, the UK's top nutritionist says

Avoiding processed food won't protect you from the coronavirus, but sleep, exercise, and reducing stress will help

Long-term quarantines can weaken your immune system due to loneliness and stress. Here's how to cope.

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