Researchers have discovered that coronavirus patients who were hospitalized and had vitamin D sufficiency were at a significantly lower risk of experiencing hypoxia, becoming unconscious or dying. Additionally, they had high levels of lymphocytes, which are immune cells that help the body fight infections, and had low levels of the C-reactive protein, which is an inflammatory marker.
The study was authored by Michael F. Holick, who is a professor of physiology, medicine and molecular medicine and biophysics at Boston University School of Medicine. The professor explained that the study provided evidence showing that sufficient levels of vitamin D reduced COVID-19 complications, such as the release of too many cytokines into the patient’s blood rapidly (cytokine storm) and death.
The study involved 235 patients admitted to the hospital with coronavirus from whom blood samples were collected. The samples were used to measure the vitamin D levels of the patients as well as analyze lymphocyte numbers and C-reactive protein. The patients were then observed for any developments in their symptoms such as unconsciousness, and difficulty breathing that caused hypoxia and ultimately, death. The scientists then compared this data in patients who had sufficient vitamin D levels to those that suffered from its deficiency.
In patients who were more than 40 years old and vitamin D sufficient, the researchers found that they were 51.5% less likely to die from an infection in comparison with the patients who were vitamin D insufficient or deficient.
In another study that was recently published by Holick, they discovered that being vitamin D sufficient can decrease the contraction risk of COVID-19 by 54%. The researchers also believe that having vitamin D sufficiency can help the body fight the coronavirus as well as other viruses that cause upper respiratory tract infections, such as influenza. He added that there was still concern that the fusion of a coronavirus infection and an influenza infection may increase hospitalizations considerably as well as death, which may occur as a result of adverse effects from these viral infections.
Holick states that the study gives a cost-effective and simple plan to improve an individual’s ability to fight COVID-19 and decrease the coronavirus’ adverse outcomes like a patient being hooked up to a ventilator or an immune response that leads to a cytokine storm or death. Furthermore, he adds that it’s only prudent for individuals to take vitamin D supplements, especially since vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency is so common among both adults and children. This, he says, may help decrease the risk of infection or experiencing complications from the coronavirus.
This discovery that vitamin D levels can affect the extent to which one is affected by COVID-19 may be of interest to biomedical entities like Predictive Oncology (NASDAQ: POAI) since it strengthens the hypothesis that nearly all disease conditions are linked to a nutritional deficiency.
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