Does Vitamin D Protect against Covid-19?

Vitamin D Covid-19. Amidst Covid numbers rising, people are flocking to do their research on what is going to protect them. What is going to strengthen their immune systems. What will heal them should they contract the virus.

A lot of people are talking about Vitamin C and glutathione (which we need) but one simple Vitamin that many are downplaying? Vitamin D!

Vitamin D is essential for our immune systems! And we are going to talk about exactly what it is and what it does for us. The more you know, the better you can protect yourself!

What is Vitamin D?

This Vitamin is fat-soluble, meaning it needs to be paired with fat to better be absorbed and also the too high of amounts can be toxic. Unlike water-soluble vitamins that you pee out what your body doesn’t use.

Vitamin D plays huge roles in the body. Especially for our immune system.

You can get Vitamin D through these three ways: Actively getting sunlight outside, from certain foods, and from supplementation.

The Cleveland Clinic says this about how much Vitamin D you need:

“In healthy people, the amount of vitamin D needed per day varies by age. It is important to know that these are general recommendations. If your doctor is checking your blood levels, he or she might recommend higher or lower doses based on your individual needs. If you have osteoporosis, your doctor might suggest a blood test of your vitamin D levels. The amount of vitamin D supplement can be customized for each person, based on the results. For many older patients, a vitamin D supplement containing anywhere between 800 to 2000 IUs daily, which can be obtained without a prescription, can be both safe and beneficial. It is important to speak with your doctor about your individual needs.”

It is also said that Vitamin D should be taken with K2 as it absorbs better and is more efficient for the body.

Vitamin D and the Immune System

There is definitely some great research showing that Vit D can help keep the immune system strong. It helps with lungs/respiratory systems in general.

Vitamin D is truly necessary for the immune system. And your immune system? That is the FIRST line of defense when it comes to bacteria, viruses, and infections!

There is a recent COVID-19 study that shows that people who had a deficiency in Vitamin D were more likely to contract the virus, and those who had adequate levels had a decreased risk for death and severe complications should they contract Covid-19.

The reason Vitamin D is so great for protecting against COVID-19 is that Vitamin D has a huge role in promoting immune response. This means it helps the immune system call to attention and activate its defense systems! It even helps improve upon how the cells in your immune system are functioning. This means they can improve macrophages and T cells- which help protect the body.

Difference between Vitamin D3 and Vitamin D2

Vitamin D3 is going to give you more Vitamin D than taking Vitamin D2. Often, D2 supplements are of less quality. You will find Vitamin D3 in animal sourced foods (few plants), and you will find Vitamin D2 in plant and fortified foods. Vitamin D3 is also formed inside your skin when you are in the sunlight. (Source) It is best to follow a protocol from your Doctor with professional supplements of Vitamin D3. Vitamin D3 is also better absorbed by the liver, however both D2 and D3 are effectively absorbed in the bloodstream.

Foods high in Vitamin D3 are: Cod liver, certain mushrooms, salmon, egg yolks, sardines, and beef liver. (If you are plant-based like me, it is best to take a good quality professional grade supplement!)

Vitamin D and Lung function/ Covid 19

As stated before, Vitamin D is crucial for the function of your lungs. It has been studied that if you are deficient in Vitamin D, your lungs may not function properly. This is not a good thing when it comes to COVID-19 as you need to be able to fight off this respiratory infection- if you develop the virus, you want strong lungs! Being deficient in Vitamin D can even alter the shape of your lungs! (Source)

If you were to contract the virus, Vitamin D may help with COVID-19. There was a study done on 235 patients and those who had sufficient levels of Vitamin D were 51.5% less likely to experience the following effects: hypoxia, unconsciousness, and death. One study mentioned how Vitamin D was great at lessening symptoms of COVID-19, especially inflammation.

Oddly enough, there are studies out there that claim Vitamin D does not help with COVID-19, but for the little that have been done, most are incredibly promising when it comes to fighting respiratory infections. Vitamin D can even help with cytokines.

One thing that is promising for the older population, is that Vitamin D can reduce mortality rates. Older people are more likely to contract COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases/infections, so this is good news knowing they have a vitamin that can greatly help.

Many doctors are currently recommending “hero doses” of Vitamin D for treating Covid-19. In fact there have been experts sending letters to world organizations, calling for them to recognize Vitamin D as an effective treatment for Covid-19. These scientists state that 4000IU a day is what they are taking and that over 70 of their studies have been successful using Vitamin D as prevention and treatment. It should also be noted that a Forbes article came out citing that 8 out of 10 people who contracted Covid-19 were deficient in Vitamin D. Eight out of ten! That’s alarming! These studies came out from Spain and claimed they were correlative, and not causative, but something to definitely consider.

At this present moment, they are a handful of clinical trials going on that are looking into the effects of Vit D (with extremely high doses) in people who are battling COVID-19. Clearly, there is something there as clinical trials are vastly expensive.

Final Thoughts:

Vitamin D is so critical for your body. Make sure to be getting it through sunshine when you can, as well as through food and supplementation when needed.

Checking your Vitamin D levels once or twice a year is always a smart practice! Test, don’t guess. 😉

It should also be noted that there is a danger of Vitamin D deficiency and cancer. One of the reasons why vitamin D reduces cancer risk has to do with how it interacts with other substances in your body. You can read more about that here.

Harvard Medical School says this about Vitamin D. I want to conclude with this because it wraps up everything we talked about, in a neat little paragraph:

“There is some evidence to suggest that vitamin D might help protect against becoming infected with, and developing serious symptoms of, COVID-19. We know, for example, that people with low vitamin D levels may be more susceptible to upper respiratory tract infections. One meta-analysis found that people who took vitamin D supplements, particularly those who had low vitamin D levels, were less likely to develop acute respiratory tract infections than those who didn’t. Vitamin D may protect against COVID-19 in two ways. First, it may help boost our bodies’ natural defense against viruses and bacteria. Second, it may help prevent an exaggerated inflammatory response, which has been shown to contribute to severe illness in some people with COVID-19.”

Lastly, do not fear! Negative emotions impact our vibrations and when we are vibrating high, our immune system is much stronger! God is always with us, stay resilient.