When are the government going to come out and actually say something about Vitamin D

[Namechanger20183110]

Since the very beginning this has considered to be a factor but there wasn't thought to be enough research.

Now Boston University have carried out a new study where patients over 40 with sufficient Vitamin D levels were 54% less likely to catch covid, and 51% less likely to die once they caught it.
news.sky.com/story/coronavirus-vitamin-d-reduces-infection-and-impact-of-covid-19-studies-find-12081132

I have been taking supplements since March. I am an ethnic minority, and I am really surprised when I speak to family members who are still not taking anything when BAMEs are known to be even more at risk. In fact I think everyone in the population should be taking it, especially now as we move into autumn/winter.

As much as I think personal accountability is required, shouldn't the government actually openly and officially comment on this new research? I feel that allowing doctors to prescribe Vit D tablets to those most vulnerable and eligible for free prescriptions would be better money well spent than other measures

Agree, and I have also heard from pharmacists that the government has been holding back and retaining supplies of vitamin D in order to issue them to vulnerable groups if necessary this winter, but the government hasn't said anything about this.

Out of interest, what amount of vit D tablets should we be having? Any other vitamins? I am thinking of popping to Holland and Barret today/ ordering on amazon.

Because once they say it they'll have to provide out.

@belowradar

Agree, and I have also heard from pharmacists that the government has been holding back and retaining supplies of vitamin D in order to issue them to vulnerable groups if necessary this winter, but the government hasn't said anything about this.

This is interesting. Vitamin D has been sold out around here for weeks. I need to take it because I suffer from SAD and I only managed to get some more yesterday from Aldi. It’s not the strongest but I’ll just have to take more. I’ve started DH and DS taking it too now.

@belowradar they are overdue with their actions already, as it takes a while for the supplements to build up in your system. They should have been prescribing these months ago. But then again this government has no sense of urgency!

I take 100mg a day but I think the NHS is recommending 10mg is sufficient. I take 100mg as from what I've read, that's the safest maximum amount you can take

I have heard this but then look at the rates in Madrid - been through the roof in both waves! Plenty of sun and outdoor life there - even for the very elderly who tend to spend their afternoons on benches in the sun on the street. Seems odd.

Also, it should be "Vitamin D3"

The report author has links with the healthcare supplements industry, he's been pushing Vitamin D for years. That's not to say his research is not reliable, but his possible bias should be kept in mind.

Vitamin D is readily available on Amazon. Can't see any shortage there.

Thank you! I will head to H&B later today. If not, amazon.

I don’t understand either. There has been report after report on this. Not from just one author.

I take the BetterYou vitamin D spray which also has vitamin K2 in it. Or eat some Gouda! Think it’s important to have both.

[quote Namechanger20183110]@belowradar they are overdue with their actions already, as it takes a while for the supplements to build up in your system. They should have been prescribing these months ago. But then again this government has no sense of urgency!

I take 100mg a day but I think the NHS is recommending 10mg is sufficient. I take 100mg as from what I've read, that's the safest maximum amount you can take[/quote]
It should be 100ug (micrograms) not mg (milligrams) that is the maximum you should take. The recommended amount for everyone is 10ug and the maximum is 100ug. Sometimes expressed in IU; and 1ug = 40IU so 10ug = 400IU

This research has only just been published in the last couple of days. I suspect Government, PHE and SAGE are reviewing this latest research so we may hear something over the coming days. Matt Hancock was on a show the other day explaining the importance of Vitamin D in general and advises people to take this in the Autumn/Winter months. I agree, if they advise people to take this as an initiative for Covid reasons, then yes, this should be made widely available where possible.

@Crocciesnap

Spain and Italy actually have widespread levels of deficiencies in Vitamin D. They don't have year round sunshine, and even during the summer there are various reasons why they can still be deficient, mainly because of a) lifestyle - a tendency to spend less time out in the sun due to indoor recreational activities, b) jobs and industries more indoor based rather than outdoor, c) advice heeded re skin cancer to not spend too much time in the sun and to wear sun protection, and d) lack of vitamin d in diets.

The Nordic countries, particularly the likes of Finland and Sweden, are known to have vitamin D rich diets and thus less reported deficiencies. Coincidence? Of course population density and all of that comes into it too, but it's interesting.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4288313/

Such a simple measure.

I bought some at Savers, a bit pot (180 tablets) for about a quid.

I wonder if food banks are allowed to receive them as donations, if they're off the shelf products?

I take the spray version D300 on Amazon I have it on repeat every month
I also take the spray versions of B12 K2 & Iron supplements

One thing I will say is if you have any stomach problems ulcers gastro problems or gallstone take the spray versions as taking tablets won’t work properly if you suffer from what i mentioned

OP- Madrid really does have sunshine all year round and life is very outdoors. Rates there are sky high! Not saying the research is wrong but I don't think it the be all and end all

I live in the Middle East yet in January 2019 I was diagnosed with rock bottom Vitamin D and softened bones (osteomalacia - adult rickets). I was put on a course of High Dose D3 with cofactors Vitamin K2 (it draws the Vitamin D to your bones instead of your arteries) and Magnesium. I now keep my Vitamin D levels at a higher but safe level. Prior to that, I would get terrible chest infections that would need antibiotics, since sorting my Vitamin D out, I've not had so much as a cold, and its been nearly 2 years.
Despite living in a country with year-round sunshine I was made deficient by avoiding the sun and wearing high factor sun cream when I was in it. Now I have download a D-Minder app on my phone and every day I spent some suncream free time in the sun to get it to 1000ui a day. It takes me about 10 minutes over here, wearing shorts and a vest top. My friend in Wales used the app and it would have taken hours and hours to achieve this. Food is not usually enough to have sufficient Vitamin D levels, you need it from the sun or supplements.

Just a note: the recommended amount is 10 micrograms, not 10 milligrams.

@Crocciesnap that might be true, but studies have found there are deficiencies. This is from one study

"The available data confirmed that there is insufficiency, and even deficiency in the Spanish population in all ages studied and in both sexes, similar to that across the world, including in very sunny regions, and to that in other countries of the Mediterranean basin40 with similar possibilities of exposure to sun. The prevalence of deficiency is even higher in patients with risk factors for having low blood levels of vitamin D, obese people and those in poverty42."

Diet is playing a big part, as is possibly the prevalence of darker skin (which is also the issue for BAMEs)

The other thing I don't understand is that we know weight plays a part and yet there's been no support or action to help people get healthier. There could have been a (gentle, non-pushy) weight campaign over the summer helping everyone get healthier en masse. There was a television programme on years ago called Lighter Lunch, I think, and people were taught healthy recipes. They had callers ringing in every day reporting on how much weight they'd lost and it was a really positive programme - it felt like people were losing weight together. I know I lost weight watching it.

I know there are a million different diets to follow but a national campaign where people were helped with more knowledge and where people could work to lose weight collectively would have been a really sensible idea. It does affect your outcome if you catch the virus in some cases.

I think there's a lot of research emerging about the complex interplay of vit D3, type 1 interferon, T cells, cytokines and Covid19, and what that means for certain demographics.

Anyone know the max / safe amount for children? I e been taking 4000iu daily since March

From nhs:

If you choose to take vitamin D supplements, 10 micrograms a day will be enough for most people.

Do not take more than 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) of vitamin D a day as it could be harmful. This applies to adults, including pregnant and breastfeeding women and the elderly, and children aged 11 to 17 years.

Children aged 1 to 10 years should not have more than 50 micrograms (2,000 IU) a day.

Infants under 12 months should not have more than 25 micrograms (1,000 IU) a day.

I'm taking vitamin D but I haven't been able to find any for under 16s.

If you go by the limits shown above then they could take any aimed at adults as long as the maximum dose isn't exceeded. I bought spray ones from amazon for my 2 kids