New scientific work has shown, that vitamin D can protect people from COVID-19 and reduce the risk of death.
In a study published September 25 in the journal PLOS ONE, Scientists from Boston University School of Medicine and Tehran University of Medical Sciences analyzed blood samples from 235 people infected with COVID-19. The results showed that adequate vitamin D levels were protective in patients. People with vitamin D deficiency had a greater chance of developing hypoxia and death.
The scientists also found that older adults without vitamin D deficiency are more than 50 percent less likely to die from COVID-19.
Vitamin D is formed in the epidermis (outer layer) of the skin when a person is exposed to sunlight. That is why in the summer and spring people often get enough of it. However, according to some estimates, its deficit is experiencing up to a billion inhabitants of the Earth. Vitamin D is also found in certain foods, such as fatty fish, red meat, cow’s milk, and egg yolk, and is sometimes added to infant formula.
Previous studies by the same group of scientists showed that vitamin D deficiency was associated with a higher likelihood of testing positive for COVID-19, and sufficient levels were associated with a 54 percent lower risk of infection. The researchers also concluded that the vitamin reduces the risk of developing other respiratory tract infections, such as the flu.
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