Covid-19’s Vitamin D link

• A new study has found an association between low average levels of vitamin D and high numbers of Covid-19 cases and mortality rates across 20 European countries.

Findings of the study:

• Italy and Spain, which experienced high Covid-19 mortality rates, have lower average vitamin D levels than most northern European countries. This is partly because people in southern Europe avoid strong sun, while skin pigmentation also reduces natural vitamin D synthesis.

• The highest average levels of vitamin D are found in northern Europe, due to the consumption of cod liver oil and vitamin D supplements, and possibly less sun avoidance. Scandinavian nations are among the countries with the lowest number of COVID-19 cases and mortality rates.

How vitamin D impact novel coronavirus:

• Vitamin D is known to modulate the response of white blood cells, preventing them from releasing too many inflammatory cytokines (part of the body’s immune response to fight infections).

• And the SARS-CoV2 virus is known to cause an excess of pro-inflammatory cytokines, called a cytokine storm.

• Vitamin D has been shown to protect against acute respiratory infections, and older adults, the group most deficient in vitamin D, are also the ones most seriously affected by Covid-19.