Low vitamin D increases the risk of hepatitis, influenza, Covid-19, AIDS and other viral diseases – Sept 2020

Immune Modulatory Effects of Vitamin D on Viral Infections

Nutrients 2020, 12(9), 2879; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12092879
by Maheen Siddiqui 1,†,Judhell S. Manansala 1,†,Hana A. Abdulrahman 2,Gheyath K.
Nasrallah 1,2OrcID,Maria K. Smatti 2OrcID,Nadin Younes 1,2,Asmaa A. Althani 1,2 andHadi M. Yassine 1,2,*OrcID
1 College of Health Science-QU Health, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar
2 Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Doha 2713, Qatar

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Viral infections have been a cause of mortality for several centuries and continue to endanger the lives of many, specifically of the younger population. Vitamin D has long been recognized as a crucial element to the skeletal system in the human body. Recent evidence has indicated that vitamin D also plays an essential role in the immune response against viral infections and suggested that vitamin D deficiency increases susceptibility to viral infections as well as the risk of recurrent infections.
For instance, low serum vitamin D levels were linked to increased occurrence of high burdens viral diseases such as hepatitis, influenza, Covid-19, and AIDS. As immune cells in infected patients are responsive to the ameliorative effects of vitamin D, the beneficial effects of supplementing vitamin D-deficient individuals with an infectious disease may extend beyond the impact on bone and calcium homeostasis. Even though numerous studies have highlighted the effect of vitamin D on the immune cells, vitamin D’s antiviral mechanism has not been fully established. This paper reviews the recent mechanisms by which vitamin D regulates the immune system, both innate and adaptive systems, and reflects on the link between serum vitamin D levels and viral infections.