New studies have indicated that vitamin D supplements may not be effective at preventing COVID-19.
This is contrary to previous evidence which suggested there is a link between severe COVID-19 infection and Vitamin D deficiency.
Recall that at the beginning of the pandemic, vitamin D was considered very useful in the fight against COVID-19 with some studies indicating that lack of it may be a risk factor for severe COVID-19 infection.
However, as reported by Business Insider, new studies have indicated that vitamin D may not be as useful as previously thought.
According to two preprints of new studies, the evidence doesn’t support supplementing vitamin D to stave off the virus.
In one study, not yet peer-reviewed, researchers from McGill University in Canada looked at data from people who were genetically predisposed to vitamin D deficiency.
The researchers analysed whether supplementing the nutrient might lower their risk of infection or severe illness from COVID-19.
They found no evidence that supplementing vitamin D could improve coronavirus outcomes.
In another study, also yet to be peer-reviewed, researchers from Aristotle University in Greece compared the rates of vitamin D deficiency with rates of COVID-19 infection and mortality in 24 European countries, including Finland, Italy, the UK, and Germany.
The data did not show a significant link between lower vitamin D levels in the population and higher rates of death and illness, the researchers found.
These findings suggest that, while previous evidence has found promising links between vitamin D and COVID-19 outcomes, it’s too early to conclude that supplementing could protect people from infection or complications.
According to Dr. Michael Chourdakis, lead author of the European study, “Vitamin D has been praised for too many things even though we have very limited data for that.”
This isn’t the first research to cast doubt on vitamin D as a potential coronavirus treatment. A study published in November 2020 found that large doses of vitamin D didn’t reduce the severity of COVID-19 in patients.
Despite the new doubts about the merits of vitamin D for coronavirus treatment, there’s still a large body of research that suggests the nutrient is crucial for a healthy immune system. There’s good evidence it plays a role in fighting off viral infection, which could extend to COVID-19.
Most experts agree that further research on vitamin D and COVID-19 is warranted. But a causal link showing how vitamin D might be used to help coronavirus patients is elusive.
This has prompted researchers to argue that the evidence in favor of vitamin D is circumstantial, and warn against overhyping the proposed benefits without further research.
Discussion about this post