Covid-19: what dose of vitamin D is recommended when you are sick?
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82% of Covid-19 patients have unusually low levels of vitamin D. It is for this reason that the National Academy of Medicine recommends vitamin D supplementation in cases of Covid-19. In what foods is vitamin D found and what is the correct dose to plan supplementation?
Essential for the proper functioning of the body, vitamin D is produced naturally by our body under the action of UVB radiation from the sun. It ensures proper muscle function, helps maintain good bone health, and helps fight certain autoimmune and infectious diseases. Problem: One in two people is deficient in vitamin D.
A particularly marked deficit in the case of Covid-19, as revealed by a new study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Researchers from the University of Cantabria (Spain) followed 216 patients with the coronavirus and a control group of 197 people. The volunteers vitamin D levels were measured, and the researchers also monitored the patients for complications, such as admissions to the intensive care unit, need for artificial respiration, and mortality.
Outcome? They observed particularly low vitamin D levels in those with Covid-19. Thus, almost 82.2% of them presented vitamin D deficiency during their hospitalization.
Coronavirus: Vitamin D Could Impact "Cytokine Storm"
Another study published last April in the journal Medicine in Drug Discovery, had shown that a vitamin D deficiency was associated with an increased risk of mortality from Covid-19, as it would play a role in the regulation of "cytokine storm" .
Cytokines are molecules involved in the development and regulation of immune responses. The "cytokine storm" is an overproduction of cytokines, causing a violent inflammatory response of the immune system, which can affect various organs.
Covid-19: a vitamin D supplement is recommended
This is the reason why the French National Academy of Medicine (ANM) advises people with Covid-19 to supplement with vitamin D. "Vitamin D cannot be considered as a preventive or curative treatment for infection due to SARS-CoV-2; but by mitigating the inflammatory storm and its consequences, it could be considered as a complement to any form of therapy ", can be read in a press release published last May.
To do this, it is necessary to know your vitamin D level by performing a blood test. If this level is greater than 30 ng / ml, there is no deficiency. When it is less than 30 ng / ml it is said that the person is insufficient and when it is less than 20 ng / ml we speak of moderate to severe vitamin D deficiency. Therefore, it is recommended:
quickly measure the level of vitamin D in people older than 60 years with Covid-19 and administer, in case of deficit, a loading dose of 50,000 to 100,000 IU that could help limit respiratory complications;
to provide vitamin D supplements of 800 to 1000 IU / day in people under 60 years of age after confirmation of the diagnosis of Covid-19.
In what foods is vitamin D found?
Supplementation with vitamin D, essential for the proper functioning of the body, may be indicated to avoid deficiencies, but some foods contain a significant amount.
We find in particular:
Cod liver oil (there is an average of 250 ug (micrograms) of vitamin D per 10 cl)
Herring (there is an average of 13 to 22 ug of vitamin D per 100 g)
Mackerel (there is an average of 13 ug of vitamin D per 100 g)
Sardines (there is an average of 12 ug of vitamin D per 100 g)
Salmon and trout (there is an average of 10 ug of vitamin D per 100 g)
Canned tuna, dark chocolate, milk, eggs, or mushrooms also contain vitamin D in interesting amounts.
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