Should the Government be handing out free doses of Vitamin D NOW?

[LWJ70]

I have recently discovered (from reading very new scientific abstracts) that low Vit D levels leave us more prone to respiratory tract viruses. Most people only associate it with a healthy skeleton. After a long, cold winter, millions of us could be slightly deficient. Our most vulnerable section of society is unable to make use of the sunlight, which is beneficial.Could this explain the greatly differing pathways of coronavirus throughout the globe? Read these abstracts:

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30675873
clinmedjournals.org/article...ases-and-epidemiology-jide-3-030.php?jid=jide

Difficult to decipher the abstract's stats without looking at the full paper. It is a summary from 25 previous studies with a grand total of 11,321 participants. It is published by US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health with a big participation from the Centre for Primary Care and Public Health, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London.

One thing is clear though:

''Vitamin D supplementation was safe, and it protected against ARIs overall. Very deficient individuals ................... experienced the benefit.

(ARI = acute respiratory infections)

I am amazed why this info is not being published in the wider public domain. Instead we have celebrity workouts, toilet rolls and memes.

Elderly people in sunny climates are probably not aware that they have afforded themselves a greater fighting chance to survive coronavirus.

There are 5.4 million people in the UK above the age of 75 years. The majority of them are locked in their houses (or they would prefer to be). If they leave their houses to buy vitamin supplements from a pharmacist, they could be exposed to the coronavirus. This is not far-fetched- a coronavirus can survive nine days or more on plastic/metal surfaces. Many parts of the UK are at a perfect temperature now for viral stability. If two thirds of infected people are asymptomatic, the infection is already everywhere.

My point is, why doesn't the NHS select the most vulnerable and make a mass delivery of Vit D or a broad spectrum of supplements?

[Stellamboscha]

Not new news. And no, you do not need the Gvt to hand out free -how cheeky!

[DianaT1969]

@Stellan - regarding 'not new news'. Do you think the people dying from the virus are not vitamin D deficient then? So we don't need to raise awareness because everyone ready knows and is supplementing and getting sun exposure? Including the elderly and BAME community?
I agree that it doesn't necessarily have to be freebie vitamin pills from the government. But wouldn't it be a shame if in 10 weeks time, when more research is available, the public realise that lives of family members could have been saved with an urgent reminder of the importance of vitamin D, how to take it (K2/calcium issues) and dosage.

[LWJ70]

Stellamboscha
Not new news.

These two articles :
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30675873

clinmedjournals.org/articles/jide/journal-of-infectious-diseases-and-epidemiology-jide-3-030.php?jid=jide

were published in 2019 and 2017

The NHS website does of course mention the benefits of vitamin D in relation to a healthy skeleton but there is no immunological recommendation and certainly the NHS does not publicize the link between respiratory virus defence and vitamin D.


Interesting and new article, written by the Syracuse University Department of Chemistry and published 10 days ago.

papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Papers.cfm?abstract_id=3561958

Key data is a graph of latitude versus deaths per 1000 cases reported.

Conclusion: ''COVID-19 morbidity and mortality are correlated with vitamin D deficiency......... Indeed, the raw data from the World Health Organization show that barely 1% of the reported deaths worldwide occurred in individuals south of the Tropic of Cancer''

Peak death rate is very clearly between the 40th and 50th parallel north latitudes. Note that the following locations lie in this geographical region: London, New York, Lombardy and Madrid.

Overall year-round sunny nations seem generally to have lower death rates, perhaps due to a combination of sunlight exposure and vitamin D levels and also the viral instability above 28 degrees C combined with ultra violet rays.

[LWJ70]

Stellamboscha

Definition of cheeky : ''slightly rude or showing no respect, but often in a funny way''

There is nothing funny about the UK going through this:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-52147861

And of course it has only just started:
www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-52175891

There is nothing rude to suggest that the NHS gives the most vulnerable people a helping hand in their fight against coronavirus. I have just recovered from covid 19 and believe me, you will need all the help you can get,

[Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow]

But is vitamin D any different to any other lifestyle related health issues?

We also know that being overweight and having type 2 diabetes is a risk factor; yet the NHS still - for what reason I do not know - does not dispense decent dietary advice about reducing blood sugar levels. Equally we know that other issues such as asthma are often inflammatory and that even by balancing levels of fats consumed and increasing omega 3 can help. Similar other strategies exist for many of the lifestyle risks relating to covid - high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems and even autoimmune disease.

If the advice was “take vitamin D, eat low carb, supplement omega 3 and eight portions of fresh vegetables daily”, what then?

[VenusOfWillendorf]

Be careful if you decide to supplement, not to overdo it and stay with the recommended dose. More is not better!
Vit D is fat soluble so can be toxic if you take too much. Unlike C which is water soluble so the excess will just go through you.

[LWJ70]

Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow

The difference between between the diabetes and cardiovascular disease compared to vitamin D deficiency is that you cannot cure the former in a week, however the minute you start taking supplements, the latter will be solved pretty quickly. Here's yet another pharmaceutical article to back up the evidence:

www.pharmacytimes.com/news/vitamin-d-helps-the-immune-system-during-cold-and-flu-season

In 2017, a large analyses of prospective clinical trials showed that taking vitamin D reduces the odds of developing a respiratory infection by approximately 42% in people with low baseline levels of vitamin D

I agree, we are constantly bombarded with health issue info and advice and it is important to verify and view each objectively.

Nobody can argue with the fact that nearing the end of a cold, dark winter our levels of vitamin D are going to be at their lowest. And it is blatantly obvious that the peak death rate is very clearly between the 40th and 50th parallel north latitudes. Note that the following regions lie in this geographical region: London, New York, Lombardy and Madrid.

Have a look at this dynamic world table and filter for deaths per 1M pop and compare with total cases.

www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries

Overall year-round sunny nations seem generally to have lower death rates, perhaps due to a combination of sunlight exposure and vitamin D levels and also the viral instability above 28 degrees C combined with ultra violet rays.

One thing I realised whilst I was feeling my own body fighting covid 19 was that the deciding factor between life and death is largely down to the efficiency of your immune response - you are very much on your own.

[LWJ70]

VenusOfWillendorf

Yes I agree. It is always important to only take the recommended dose. Luckily it's very clearly indicated on packaging and relatively easy these days to research dosage from reliable sources:

Vitamin D intake is recommended at 400–800 IU/day, or 10–20 micrograms. However, some studies suggest that a higher daily intake of 1000–4000 IU (25–100 micrograms) is needed to maintain optimal blood levels.

(from
www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-vitamin-d-to-take#section2)

The main drive of my post is to highlight the geographical differences in death rates and relate these to the correlation between death rates and vitamin D deficiency/lack of winter sunlight. When you analyse the data from many, many sources this correlation is very striking. Unfortunately the only way to prove this would be to analyse the blood serum vitamin D levels of the people who have sadly passed away, however I am not sure is this is being carried out.

[NuzzleandScratch]

This is really interesting. Just wanted to add though, the safe sun message is so important. A close friend is currently battling stage 4 melanoma, she's only in her 30s. This stuff doesn't always happen to other people, it's real.

[LWJ70]

cyclingmad

''No the government shouldn't be handing it out free what's wrong with your it's your responsibility to make sure your getting the right nutrients and vitamins.''

There are approx 416,000 elderly people in UK care homes.
They are not going to pop out to Boots to buy vitamin D supplements anytime soon.

Please read these horrific accounts of the grim crisis in Europe's care homes:

//www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-52147861

and the 15 deaths in a Luton care home:
www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-52175891

If I was alone in a care home right now I would not be writing cyclingmad's words.

[DianaT1969]

@cyclingmad - people in care homes don't have control over the vitamins/nutrition they are given. Neither do children. The BAME community need constant reminders that they are prone to deficiency. Obese people may not realise they are at increased risk of being deficient due to the weight/vitamin ratio and likelihood that they don't expose enough skin regularly during summer. I am overweight and I didn't realise. I recently turned 50 and didn't know that there's a decline in efficiency of manufacturing vitamin D from sunshine in people 50+.

[LWJ70]

Continuing with an objective and logical debate:

Here’s a scientific abstract published yesterday which has collated data from at least 5 studies made in the last three years:

www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-21211/v1

’Discussion: Vitamin D levels are severely low in the aging population especially in Spain, Italy and Switzerland. This is also the most vulnerable group of population for COVID-19.

Conclusions: We believe, that we can advise Vitamin D supplementation to protect against SARS-CoV2 infection.’

[LWJ70]

Thirteen care home residents die in one week:

www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-52165397

Does anyone have any connections in Whitehall or emails/connections with these NHS directors:

www.england.nhs.uk/about/board/members/#exec


If so, could you please forward the results of these scientific studies which promote the use of vitamin D supplements to fight covid 19:

//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30675873

clinmedjournals.org/articles/jide/journal-of-infectious-diseases-and-epidemiology-jide-3-030.php?jid=jide

//www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-21211/v1

//www.pharmacytimes.com/news/vitamin-d-helps-the-immune-system-during-cold-and-flu-season

papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Papers.cfm?abstract_id=3561958

[pocketem]

Everyone should have been on vitamin D anyway, it's been an NHS recommendation for the whole population for years due to low levels of sunlight in this country

[Bouncingbomb]

Lots of foods are full of vitamin d or fortified so supplements aren’t necessarily required.

We don’t drink milk but drink Oatily, just 100ml has a fair amount of vitamin D.

[NotEverythingIsBlackandwhite]

Should the Government be handing out free doses of Vitamin D NOW?
No.
We need to take some responsibility for ourselves. We need to eat foods which either contain or are fortified with vitamin D and expose our hands and arms (to the elbow) to sunlight for about an hour per day when we can. Otherwise buy supplements. We do not need a nanny state.

The Govt is already providing the most amazing assistance to help save workers' jobs, to save charities, companies, the NHS, and to protect our lives as much as possible.

We can surely manage our vitamin D levels ourselves?

[LWJ70]

pocketem

''Everyone should have been on vitamin D anyway, it's been an NHS recommendation for the whole population for years due to low levels of sunlight in this country''

The NHS website does of course mention the benefits of vitamin D in relation to a healthy skeleton but there is no immunological recommendation and certainly the NHS does not publicize the link between respiratory virus defence and vitamin D. This is entirely new data.

[LWJ70]

Bouncingbomb
''Lots of foods are full of vitamin d or fortified so supplements aren’t necessarily required.''

One study estimates that around 20% of the population in the UK has a profound vitamin D deficiency:
www.bbc.com/future/article/20181010-do-vitamin-d-supplements-work

Yes I agree, nutrition is an important factor but we must remember that our bodies are less able to assimilate vitamin D as we get older. Studies have proven that vitamin D supplements are necessary for a large portion of the population. It is not widely known that healthy levels of serum vitamin D correlate with the ability to fight respiratory viral diseases.

[LWJ70]

NotEverythingIsBlackandwhite

There are approx 416,000 elderly people in UK care homes.
They are not going to pop out to Boots to buy vitamin D supplements anytime soon.

Please read these horrific accounts of the grim crisis in the UK's care homes:

www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-52165397

//www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-52175891

If I was alone in a care home right now I would not be writing NotEverythingIsBlackandwhite's words.

[ineedaholidaynow]

How much is too much Vit D if I am looking at which supplements to buy?

[LWJ70]

Vitamin D intake is recommended at 400–800 IU/day, or 10–20 micrograms. However, some studies suggest that a higher daily intake of 1000–4000 IU (25–100 micrograms) is needed to maintain optimal blood levels.

(from
//www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-much-vitamin-d-to-take#section2)

[NoMorePoliticsPlease]

Do you not think the country has enough things to spend money on

[Xenia]

One of my sons has upped his vit C for at least the last 5 weeks and takes a vit supplement. I do go out at the moment into the garden (a huge distance from neighbours) in just underwear for about 30 minutes every day at present without sun cream (if the sun is out) to get Vit D which you take in a lot better by sun light but I realise a lot of people don't have a garden or balcony so can only get it on their daily walk or run at the moment.

[LWJ70]

Interesting point of view NoMorePoliticsPlease

1 x ventilator cost = from £16,000

60 Vit D tablets = from £1.15

That equates to nearly 14,000 doses of Vit D supplement.

There are approx 416,000 pensioners in UK care homes.

That would cost £478,100 to give them all 2 months free doses of Vit D

I'm not proposing that the Gov should not construct ventilators. I'm saying that whilst it takes 2 months to start acquiring new ventilators, money spent on Vit D supplements (in the meantime) for the most vulnerable would be a good economic option right now. Please read the new research data mentioned previously.