Public Health England don't hold any data on vitamin D deficiency

[DianaT1969]

Is anyone else surprised by this? I made a FOI request regarding data on vitamin D deficiency in Covid-19 admissions.
They responded that they don't hold any data at all on this subject.
Zero interest by PHE in collating and analysing the data on vitamin D deficiency in the population during a pandemic.

Vitamin D deficiency appears to be connected with getting very ill from COVID 19. Of course it is a public health issue!!! The mere fact that there are people here squeaking that it's "not a public health issue" is so utterly symbolic of the siloed thinking and poor management that has beset the UK's response to this pandemic.

Article in the Times today saying no link between Vit D and protecting against Covid.

No. It said "not enough evidence" but that we should take it anyway. I'm getting deja vu after all the ridiculous mixed messaging on masks that went on for months and months.

Omega 3 is another interesting one - there have been some suggestions that a diet high in omega 3 may also reduce covid 19 symptoms. Obviously, oily fish contain both omega 3 and vitamin D. As there are risks in self-supplementation on the back of lacklustre research, more research would be highly beneficial, especially considering the way we are massively polluting the world’s oceans, so just eating lots of fish carries its own risks, too.

@Kokeshi123 - I totally agree. Yesterday's SACN and NICE announcement, following another rapid review, that there "isn't enough evidence" and "more research is required" is bafflingly passive.
What will it take for them to establish the and action the trials? A pandemic that exploits weak immune systems and trashes the economy? Oooh we have one of those.

I think we (as in health institutions) know that many people are vit D deficient and I think we know that it is very important for many metabolic processes (my DH started taking it because he read that a deficiency can contribute to depression) the tricky bit is making ALL members of the public aware that they should be taking supplements.

I remember being shocked a few years ago that a contestant on Love Island didn't know who the British prime minister at the time was. If you are that ignorant of the world around you what are the chances of you being up to date on or even vaguely interested in the latest health advice?

@Waspnest - you could ask the same of GPs, health visitors and midwives who do nothing to ensure the message about vitamin D supplementation is spread.

@Waspnest - Absolutely. I have wordly, educated friends and family and most won't know that they should take a supplement in winter, or if they do know, they'll be complacent and rarely, if ever, bother.
The UK needs clear public messaging on this.
PHE also had the option of fortifying some foods, but it decided against that.
The NHS recommended dose is also lower than other countries and according to criticial papers published, isn't based on robust trials. Critics speculate that it's a leftover from the days of a spoonful of cod liver oil - as the spoon holds approx 400iu of vitamin D.
The NHS guidelines also don't take address different requirements for those who are overweight, BAME etc and are a conservative maintenance dose - not for people starting from a level of deficiency.
Clear public messaging now, not in time for the next pandemic.

*worldly not wordly 😂

I agree, but I think that more people are likely to see a GP than a HV or a midwife. And GPs are already responsible for monitoring chronic conditions in their patients and providing lifestyle advice to prevent illness such as diabetes so I don't know why the advice on vit D cannot also be given by them.

Sorry that was to Walkaround.

I wondered about the Vitamin D3 link when I saw how the doctors and nurses who died at the beginning of the pandemic were overwhelmingly Asian and Black, and how many were significantly overweight (which makes it harder to be replete in this and other vitamins).

It’s definitely a public health message, but it also means acknowledging how piss poor the NHS is as an employer. All of these medics should have had fitness assessments before they were let loose on Covid wards.

If you ever had any doubts about the effect of UV and the assimilation of vitamin D3 in the bloodstream with respect to serious covid 19 outcomes, here's a graphic of the UK's major spikes in local authorities versus dates. I think it's sorted for latitude, but you wouldn't have guessed it because the virus has behaved just as a seasonal virus should.

The more northerly the latitude the sooner the UV levels decrease to stop vitamin D3 assimilation, the sooner the coronavius spikes.

Here's a similar effect on a European scale.

European covid 19 cases overlayed with the angle of the sun over horizon and UV intensity

Mother nature leaves her tracks. We can either choose to ignore them, disbelieve and doubt them or actually use them to help us.

I am not sure that a FOI request is the correct tool to use in this case, OP.

Here's a similar effect on a European scale.

European covid 19 cases overlayed with the angle of the sun over horizon and UV intensity

Mother nature leaves her tracks. We can either choose to ignore them, disbelieve and doubt them or actually use them to help us

Sorry repeat message