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

Correction 3000IU/75mg

It’s certainly a simple thing to do, alongside magnesium which is very often another vitamin swathes of people are low on.

@Augustbreeze the recommended amount is 10ug so you'd need 4 of the 2.5ug just to get to that level.

@Augustbreeze I have been taking 4000iu a day since March and have not seen or noticed any adverse side effects. I believe 4000iu is the safest maximum level to take unless otherwise prescribed. I have not had as much as a sniffle since March but will reserve judgement until the midst of winter maybe!

I take omega 3 supplement that contains vit d at 4000iu. so if anyone takes omega 3 they probably don't need extra vit d.

I’ve mentioned this here before, but it’s worth repeating.

I’ve had Triple Negative Breast Cancer. That’s the type that still, unfortunately, is killing young women, although I myself am not young. Black women are also more at risk from TNBC.

At the time I was going through treatment, I read quite a lot about the connection between TNBC and Vit D deficiency. The fact that Vit D levels tend to be low amongst black women in colder climates was associated with their higher risk from TNBC.

My oncologist was not convinced (nor remotely interested), but I insisted on having my levels tested and, sure enough, they were extremely low. I’m overweight, which might have explained it, but I then had my skinny teenage daughter’s levels tested and hers were almost as low as mine.

I have continued to take Vit D ever since and am still here 4 years after my diagnosis.

I would advise you all to take it. There used to be a lady on here who wrote extensively about the connection between low Vit D levels and all sorts of health issues.

[quote Namechanger20183110]@Augustbreeze I have been taking 4000iu a day since March and have not seen or noticed any adverse side effects. I believe 4000iu is the safest maximum level to take unless otherwise prescribed. I have not had as much as a sniffle since March but will reserve judgement until the midst of winter maybe![/quote]
Don’t worry, my partner takes 5,000iu under recommendation from his doctor for his health condition. So 4,000 won’t hurt you.

4000 iu is a good reasonable amount to take, it's the upper recommended amount to take by the health authorities, which may be a little on the conservative side, but they have to take a nuanced approach in their recommendations, in that people have differing baselines and medical needs.

400 iu , which is the standard RDA, and the amount in most multivitamins was set when vitamin D was merely thought to play a role in bone health and preventing rickets/osteomalacia. The immune system needs much higher amounts of D than the bones.

4,000 iu = 100 µg (Greek letter mu) (mcg), which will, after about 12 weeks taking every day, raise your blood level by around 100 nmol/l. Each 10 µg of vitamin D taken consistently everyday will raise your blood by about 10 nmol/l.

The range for vitamin D blood levels are
250 + dangerous
150 - 250 surplus, but considered safe
100 - 150 nmol/l = ideal
75 - 100 nmol/l = good
50 - 75 nmol/l = insufficient

@FallenMadonnawiththeBadBoobies
I had breast cancer 10 years ago. My oncologist actually wrote a paper on the breast cancer and vitamin D deficiency link. I was also part of a study. I went straight on vitamin D and have had good levels ever since.

I definitely think people should be taking vitamin D and BAME people are advised to supplement in the UK anyway.
However, I think that it is proving difficult to prove a link between vitamin D levels and covid to definitely recommend it as a preventative. I saw an article which stated that whilst people in ICU had lower vitamin D levels than those with mild covid, being severely ill can lead to low vitamin D levels so it is difficult to determine if it is cause or effect.
We only take the 10ug a day as I find higher levels tend to lead to insomnia. Reading some of the comments though I wonder if we should increase our dosage.

Probably not going to announce it as a good thing until one of their mates has a company producing it/importing it.

Gov always ignore anything that might help people....

Mine doesn't have K2 added to it so I'm going to need to find a K2 supplement that isn't the cost of a not so small mountain.

There was a recent Radiolab podcast about it and there was a NHS consultant on there who was born in India and was involved in government meetings about Covid. He had discussed in a meeting recommending that there should be a public health campaign to encourage ethnic minorities to take vitamin D & was told that could possibly come across as racist. He couldn’t persuade them otherwise. He was funding Vit D3 for all his relatives.

www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/articles/invisible-allies

They push vitamin D during pregnancy now and to give baby vit d once born. That is a new thing over 7 years or so. With my 2nd it was just have you been taking folic acid. I continued to take it as I don't really like sun and easily burn, so take it as read boost immune system. Fingers crossed it looks like works.

How much k2 is needed and would something like this be sufficient?

www.amazon.co.uk/Vegetarian-Cholecalciferol-Professionally-Manufactured-Nutravita/dp/B0778NHCGW

@redlockscelt I have the Better You spray form amazon that has added K2. I think about £8

The problem with Vit D deficiency is that it is diagnosed, people are put on the laughably small dose of 800 IU - or even less! - and levels are never checked again. The truth is that with that dose, not many people reach levels about 35-40 ng/ml. Most people need 4-5000 IU a day.
Even then, a lot of people struggle to get to normal levels, in that case, magnesium deficiency might be the case.

I agree OP it should be recommended by the government. It also would be better and more positive to help people to focus on things that we can do Vit D, healthy eating, exercise etc. rather than constantly focusing on the things we can't do.

Seriously it's just herbal nonsense. Of course vitamins keep you healthy and have a good immune system, sure. But it won't necessarily stop you from getting Covid. Think about it; if it were as simple as that, I'm sure we would have been told by now. Between people saying cannabis 'cures cancer' and now vitamin D and covid, it worries me when people read these articles and get false hope. Very healthy people are getting it. Popping vitamin pills won't cause covid to go away.

Deficiency in vitamin D has long been associated with an increased susceptibility to infections and, as a pp said, it's hard to tell what levels someone had before getting ill because illnesses can lower someone's Vitamin D levels.

Vitamin D prescription still exists in many areas, though mostly for those who are severely deficient who are put on significantly higher doses before transitioning to OTC maintenance doses. I've been on 20,000 IUs and higher before, obviously at those levels, testing is needed.

As Vitamin D toxicity is a concern and many who are reliant on OTC supplements, the government would have to give out very careful advice. We could end up with the most vulnerable missing out and becoming more ill because others choose to stockpile it, and people getting sick from megadosing it.

And yes, it's generally recommended that Vitamin D should be taken alongside Vitamin K2 (as long as someone is not taking warfarin) and Vitamin A, and some evidence for magnesium and calcium as well. The best ratios for supplementation are still heavily up for research, especially for the minerals, but the one I've seen most is: 100 mcg K2 (as MK-7, this is most supplements), or 1,000 mcg (as MK-4) per 1,000 IU D and that A & D can be supplemented at the same level, though caution would be needed with Vitamin A for those who are pregnant. So if one wanted to take 2000 IUs Vitamin D, it would be the same amount of A and 200 mcg of K2 MK-7 and trying to ensure daily recommended amounts for magnesium and calcium unless a deficiency is suspected/tested for in them.

Delatron - excellent. It is always good to hear about long term survivors.

Kalula - of course it won't stop you catching Covid. But it may well help your immune system fight off the infection so that it doesn't cause major damage or death.

Be fair - they have! Matt Hancock said in the HOC last week that there was no evidence we should take it. So they have said something. Albeit completely the wrong thing. Again.

I bought some from Wilko the other day, a pot of 12.5 micrograms and a pot of 25 micrograms, there were plenty in stock