Vitamin D may be a Little Ray of Sunshine in the Treatment and Prevention of COVID-19

COVID-19 cases continue to climb as scientists race tirelessly toward the discovery of a widespread treatment and vaccine. Exciting news from Pfizer gave the country a moment of hope when they shared interim results of their Phase 3 study, which showed that an experimental mRNA-based vaccine was 90% effective at preventing COVID-19.

Many mysteries still surround the coronavirus, including why children with COVID-19 don't get as sick as adults and why people with heart and lung conditions are more likely to die from COVID-19. Though the picture isn't fully developed, scientists are beginning to discover that vitamin D may play a leading role.

COVID-19 and Vitamin D: What's the connection? Vitamin D is quite popular in the health scene, and one of its leading superpowers is to reduce inflammation. Several recent studies have shown that COVID-19 causes an inflammatory reaction in the body (which can be fatal), and vitamin D can help curb some of it. These studies have even shown that vitamin D may directly reduce the number of coronavirus copies made in the body.

In particular, children seem to have more protection from COVID-19 because they have higher vitamin D levels than adults. People with health conditions like diabetes or heart and lung conditions, in contrast, are thought to have a greater risk of becoming very ill with COVID-19 because they often have low vitamin D levels and high levels of inflammation.

Though this discovery is exciting, it's not much of a surprise, considering that vitamin D has similar effects in other respiratory conditions, like the notorious flu. There's even speculation that flu and respiratory infections go rampant during the winter months because of low vitamin D levels caused by reduced sunlight exposure. This causes worries amongst the healthcare community as winter has begun and COVID-19 cases are agin on the rise.

Don't go stocking your shelves with bottles of vitamin D just yet. The results are promising, but the doses of vitamin D given to patients in these studies far exceed the FDA daily recommended dose of 600 IU for adults. Depending on vitamin D levels in the patients studied, there was a wide range of doses used, some going as high as 5,000 to 10,000 IU a day. Like any study, these patients were closely monitored for possible symptoms of vitamin D overdose.

The studies continue, but so far, there are no recommended doses of vitamin D for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19 or other respiratory illnesses.

The benefits of Vitamin D at the FDA recommended dose may still be worth it. Aside from the potential of preventing many types of respiratory illnesses, like COVID-19, vitamin D has been shown to strengthen our bones and immune system and possibly reduce symptoms of depression. Besides, we all deserve a bit of sunshine and fresh air to ward away those quarantine blues.