Vitamin D isn't an effective COVID-19 treatment, but scientists haven't ruled out its relationship to severe disease
Article analyzed 26 studies from around the world encompassing >5,600 hospitalized COVID19 patients.
Zinc, vitamin C & vitamin D don't prevent COVID deaths.Scientists have wondered since the start of the pandemic whether certain vitamins like zinc, vitamin C, or vitamin D improve outcomes for COVID-19 patients. Globally, some doctors continue to prescribe these supplements in hopes of promoting a healthy immune response.
But a scientific review from the University of Toledo published last month found no evidence that taking zinc, vitamin C, or vitamin D reduces the risk of dying from COVID-19.
The analysis looked at 26 peer-reviewed studies from around the world that encompassed more than 5,600 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Patients who took zinc and vitamin C did so after they were admitted to the hospital. The study also included patients who took vitamin D before their COVID-19 diagnoses, as well as some who took the supplement after they got sick.
Scientists have wondered since the start of the pandemic whether certain vitamins like zinc, vitamin C, or vitamin D improve outcomes for COVID-19 patients. Globally, some doctors continue to prescribe these supplements in hopes of promoting a healthy immune response.
But a scientific review from the University of Toledo published last month found no evidence that taking zinc, vitamin C, or vitamin D reduces the risk of dying from COVID-19.
The analysis looked at 26 peer-reviewed studies from around the world that encompassed more than 5,600 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Patients who took zinc and vitamin C did so after they were admitted to the hospital. The study also included patients who took vitamin D before their COVID-19 diagnoses, as well as some who took the supplement after they got sick.
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COVID-19 patients who are vitamin-deficient may benefit from supplements
Beran's study didn't consider whether hospitalized patients were deficient in certain vitamins before they got sick. For COVID-19 patients with vitamin deficiencies, taking supplements could help their immune system, but that's not the same as a direct treatment for COVID-19.
"There is strong data about the association of vitamin D deficiency and worse outcomes of COVID-19," Beran said, adding, "If someone has vitamin D deficiency, his immune system is not going to be as good as a patient with normal vitamin D."
A September 2020 study found people with vitamin D deficiencies had an increased risk of testing positive for COVID-19. A recent Israeli study also found that about half of people who were vitamin D deficient before getting COVID-19 developed severe illness, compared to less than 10% of people who had sufficient levels of the vitamin in their blood.
At the very least, Beran said, patients with vitamin deficiencies should take supplements to restore these essential nutrients.
"If someone is admitted with COVID and, incidentally, you found that the patient had severe vitamin D deficiency, of course treating that patient with vitamin D will help," he said.
Vaccines remain our most important tool for preventing severe COVID-19, he added, and steroids our most effective method of treating it. After two weeks, booster shots reduced the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization by at least 90%, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Read more at:
https://news.yahoo.com/vitamin-d-isnt-effective-covid-133100665.html
