Vitamin D in Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19: Current Perspective and Future Prospects
J Am Coll Nutr. 2020 Sep 1;1-14. doi: 10.1080/07315724.2020.1806758
Navya Vyas 1 2, Shilia Jacob Kurian 2 3, Debasis Bagchi 4, Mohan K Manu 2 5, Kavitha Saravu 2 6, Mazhuvancherry Kesavan Unnikrishnan 7, Chiranjay Mukhopadhyay 8, Mahadev Rao 3, Sonal Sekhar Miraj 2 3
COVID-19 treated by Vitamin D - studies, reports, videos as of July 29 includes
- 21 trials (generally treatment, not prevention), +10 observational studies,
- +7 recommendations, +34 associations, +58 speculations, +20 videos,
and has the following recent updates
Recent COVID-19 articles Click here for all VIRUS articles on VitaminDWiki
- COVID fought by Vitamin D: 2.3X less likely to die of COVID if supplemented, 1.9 X less likely to become infected – meta-analysis March 2024
- US has the most vaccinations before age 1 and the most deaths - March 2024
- Benign Cancers of a portion of the brain increased 1.8 X after vaccines were available - March 2024
- Long-COVID 3.1 X more likely if insufficient amounts of Magnesium and Vitamin D – March 2024
- COVID US survey: 43% not expect to ever return to normal – Gallup March 2024
- COVID-19 leaves its mark on the brain, dropping in IQs - March 2024
- 100% not need COVID hospitalization with fluvoxamine plus one other drug – Thailand RCT April 2024
- COVID maximum downregulation of Vitamin D receptor and CYP27B1 resulted in death - Feb 2024
- COVID-19 vaccines adverse events: myocarditis, pericarditis, etc. (99 million people, not US) – Feb 2024
- COVID could have been stopped in Wuhan – book March 2024
- Vitamin D: Viral infections, Infectious diseases, EBV and MS, Virus and Cancers – Grant March 2024
- Senator Ron Johnson hosted talks on COVID treatments - 2020 - 2024
- COVID infection (without hospitalization) – 1.7X more likely to die in 6 months if low Vitamin D – March 2024
- COVID senior pneumonia deaths: 50% if low Vitamin D and unvaccinated vs 16% if Vitamin D or vaccinated – June 2023
- 5 X less COVID infection of health care workers who took lots of vitamin D – meta-analysis Feb 2024
- 18,000 schoolchildren in Canada to be suspended for not being vaccinated - Feb 2024
- Vaccines increased your risk of dying of COVID in NZ - official data - Feb 2024
- Study urged a global moratorium on mRNA vaccines (300 peer reviewers agreed) – Jan 2024
- CDC recommends 100 vaccinations by age 18 – Feb 2024
- Professor Raoult is calling for a moratorium on COVID-19 vaccines - Jan 2024
- COVID deaths cut in half by a single dose of 600,000 IU of Vitamin D - RCT Jan 2024
- Is 50 ng of Vitamin D enough to fight COVID - TrialSiteNews - Jan 2024
- COVID and or vaccinations causing less Vitamin D and more sickness - Jan 2024
- Long-COVID a month shorter if more than 20 ng of Vitamin D - Jan 2024
- COVID, Vitamin D, Drs. Grimes and Campbell - Jan 2024
- All died of COVID with standard vitamin D, 25% survived if 10X more vitamin D (mice) – Dec 2023
- COVID infections and vaccinations decrease Vitamin D – many studies
- Moderna is monitoring 150 million websites for ‘Anti-Vaccine’ Narratives - Nov 2023
- But not VitaminDWiki, so far
- The four viruses that are increasing at an ‘exponential rate’ (are all fought by Vitamin D) – Nov 2023
- COVID death rate 4X less at high altitude (more UVB which makes Vitamin D) - Oct 2023
- Doctors in NY cannot opt out of COVID boosters for children - Oct 2023
- Multiple COVID vaccinations might increase Cancer Incidence - many studies
- COVID fought by Vitamin D - video review of literature with transcript - Dec 2021
- What to do if you catch COVID - Dr. McCullough Sept 2023
- Long COVID with Neuro-Cognitive symptoms had especially low vitamin D levels – Sept 2023
- Mask studies for viral infection: 104 studies: ineffective, 61 studies: harmful - Sept 2023
- The ONLY Solution to Long COVID (Vitamin D) - video and transcript Sept 2023
- Long-COVID can hide in the body for years in scores of locations – Sept 2023
- Vaccine Clinical Trial - cardiovascular death 3.7X more likely if vaccinated - preprint Sept 2023
- One in five people with long COVID can no longer work (Doctors in this case) - Sept 2023
- Number of people with long COVID could be vastly underestimated - Aug 2023
- mRNA Vaccine Toxicity -free book by Doctors for COVID Ethics - Aug 2023
- Politics says put your masks back on, Science says masks may INCREASE COVID infection - Aug 2023
- Epstein-Barr Virus may be a prerequisite for Multiple Sclerosis - July 2023
- COVID Vaccinations increased risk of cardiac deaths in youths by 19% - Aug 2023
- Athletes who had been COVID infected had lower Vitamin D levels – July 2023
- Vitamin D was the most popular supplement during the COVID Pandemic – July 2023
- COVID cost the US 18,000 dollars per survivor, and many excess deaths - July 2023
- COVID, Long-COVID and Vitamin D in children - Review April 2023
- COVID in hospital stopped by Vitamin D Receptor activators (curcumin, quercetin) – RCT June 2023
- Children with COVID 4X more likely to have poor Vitamin D Receptors (Note: COVID deactivates VDR) – April 2023
- Chance of moderately severe COVID 3X less likely if plant-based diet – April 2021
- COVID, Long COVID, and Vitamin D – May 2023
- 3,400 peer-reviewed studies found COVID Vaccination problems as of April 2023
- COVID death 1.5 X less likely if high vitamin D, emergency D (50K to 100K) is great – meta-analysis March 2023
- Poor vaccine batches associated with adverse events - March 2023
- Probably less of a problem if had high Vitamin D when vaccinated
- Excess deaths - 5 possible reasons - many studies
- COVID was associated with low Vitamin D or Zinc – umbrella review Feb 2023
- COVID predicted to be a pandemic that could be stopped by high dose vitamin D - Feb 2020
- COVID and other Virus fought by UV - many studies
- Seniors raised Vitamin D levels, more COVID survivors, less CKD (Slovakia) – Feb 2023
- COVID recovery 1.6X faster after 200,000 IU of Vitamin D RCT – Feb 2023
- Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome of COVID in Children 3X more likely if low Vitamin D – Feb 2023
- COVID was associated with low Vitamin D or Zinc – umbrella review Feb 2023
- Vitamin D, now conclusive (for COVID) - Dr. Campbell Video and transcript - Feb 1, 2023
- COVID ICU 3X less-likely if take any amount and type of Vitamin D – meta-analysis Jan 2023
- 2nd COVID infection increases the risk of Long-COVID - 2022
- More COVID vaccinations, more infections - Cleveland Clinic - Dec 2022
- COVID vaccination increased by 137X the risk of 10-14 year olds of dying (UK) – Jan 2023
- Chart of excess deaths and vaccination in the Netherlands - for 2022
- China: From Zero Covid to No Plan - people left to improvise - NYT Dec 18, 2022
- COVID variants in US evade bivalent vaccination by 3X to 13X – Cell Dec 13, 2022
- Fight infections such as COVID with 50 ng of Vitamin D – Sunil Dec 2022
- COVID and Vitamin D: any amount of D, at any time, for any duration reduced ICU - meta-analysis Dec 2022
- The vitamins and minerals that help the immune system respond to respiratory viruses – Dec 2022
Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki
Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) partly explains geographical differences in COVID-19 susceptibility, severity, and mortality. VDD among African-Americans, diabetics, hypertensive, and aged populations possibly explain the higher death rate, aggravated by cocooning. Vitamin D is pleiotropic, mediating bone metabolism, calcium homeostasis, and immune functions, whereas VDD is associated with inflammatory reactions and immune dysfunction, predisposing individuals to severe infections.
Vitamin D modulates innate and adaptive immunity via the expression of genes that code antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). And the expression of cluster of differentiation (CD)14, the co-receptor for epidermal toll-like receptor (TLR)4. AMPs stimulate TLR2 in macrophages, increasing the conversion of vitamin D into its active form by cytochrome P450 27B1. Antiviral properties of vitamin D-induced AMPs can shift the polarization of the adaptive immune response from helper T cells (Th)1 to the more regulatory Th2 responses that suppress immune over-reactivity by preventing cytokine storm, which is already demonstrated during the Spanish flu episode.
Vitamin D induces antiviral effects by both direct and indirect mechanisms via
- AMPs,
- immunomodulation,
- the interplay between major cellular and viral elements,
- induction of autophagy and apoptosis,
- variation of genetic and epigenetic factors.
The crosstalk between vitamin D and intracellular signaling pathways may operate as a primary regulatory action on viral gene transcription.
VDD may increase the likelihood of infection with enveloped viruses, including
- retrovirus,
- hepatitis, and
- dengue.
Key teaching points
Vitamin D induces antiviral effects by direct and indirect mechanisms via
- AMPs,
- immunomodulation,
- induction of autophagy, etc.
Epidemiology of VDD partly explains geographical differences in COVID-19
- susceptibility,
- severity, and
- mortality.
Global data correlates severe VDD with COVID-19 associated
- coagulopathy,
- disrupted immune response and
- mortality,
- reduced platelet count, and
- prolonged prothrombin time,
together suggesting benefits from supplementation. Many clinical trials are underway globally to delineate the role of vitamin D in both prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
RCT Summary at VitaminDWiki - constantly updated