COVID-19 fought by Vitamin D in 43 studies - Oct 15, 2020

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Vitamin D Mitigates COVID-19, Say 40+ Patient Studies (listed below) – Yet BAME, Elderly, Care-homers, and Obese are still ‘D’ deficient, thus at greater COVID-19 risk - WHY?

British Medical Journal Oct 15, 2020
Robert A Brown, Researcher, McCarrison Society, La Route de Mont Cochon, St Lawrence, Jersey. C.I. @purplejustice

Dear Editor
Vitamin D reduces COVID-19; infection; severity; ICU admission and mortality: as clearly evidenced by; immune biology, observational and interventional studies, and wider considerations of; latitude, seasonal UVB exposure, and national supplementation policies: the uncertainty is the quantum: but studies suggest ‘D’ effects are likely large - 50% less infectivity – multiples lower ICU and mortality rate.

Vitamin D is a steroid hormone, also present in limited dietary sources. For most, the major ‘D’ source is skin exposure to UVB in sunlight, which waxes and wanes seasonally. Supplementation is the only other option. ‘D’ with 50 metabolites[1] is more bio-actively influential than appreciated. Sensible ‘D’ supplementation has a 100-year track-record.[2] Side-effects are minimal.

Dexamethasone in the same structural steroid family as ‘D’, shares common VDR (vitamin-D-receptor)[3] and related gene pathways,[4] is artificial, and in some circumstances mitigates against COVID-19, albeit with variable side-effects. Dexamethasone is clearly a useful adjunct.

‘D’ deficiencies are widespread globally,[5] and particularly in; BAME, African Americans, Elderly, Carehomers,[6, 7] (Reality-check ref.) and Obese Persons; groups also at high-risk of COVID-19. Regions with proactive Vitamin-D-policies, education, nutritional supplementation, and/or greater UVB exposure, have much lower COVID-19 infection and mortality; e.g. Finland, Norway, New Zealand and, Equatorial-Africa (despite poverty / high urban-multi-person-dwelling-occupation).

Appropriate vitamin D supplementation risks are small: rewards huge. Public policy application of Bradford-Hill risk / harm criteria, used for smoking, social-distancing and masks, would support[8] ‘D’ supplementation of at-risk groups, and ‘D’ testing of all COVID-19 hospital patients.

Parachute RCTs studies (Smith & Pell. J CBE[9] ) [10, 11] ; analogies for research situations of observable risk reduction, but limited viable ethical alternatives; incisively, with wry humour, highlight risks of overly focusing on para-RCT-centric research.

Patient-based-studies

• four interventions [12-14, 85];
• a retrospective examination of clinical practice[15]; and
• thirty-nine observationals, [16-50, 86]
• three more are questioned;[51-53]
  • some are preprints.

All consider, mixed-size pre-and -or-post-infection ‘D’ samples, and COVID-19 positive patients. All studies variously evidence mitigation of COVID-19 infectivity and/or severity, by ‘D’.

Additionally, Biobank-study ‘D’ data (all over 10-years-old),[54-56] showed positive associations before adjustment. Comorbidities adjusted for, are impacted by vitamin D levels,[57] making evaluation complex. EPIC vitamin D data had no date-limits.[58]

Latitudinal,[59] COVID-19 seasonality, and wider, studies, including of polymorphisms,[60] grow in number; including those referencing historic pandemics and influenzas[61]: Juzeniene is a stand-out.[62] Latitudinal studies[63, 64] are helpful, but limited by availability of current accurate population ‘D’ data.

An in-vitro study,[65] observes; “Vitamin D, calcitriol, exhibits significant potent activity against SARS-CoV-2.”

Numerous studies,[66] explain vitamin D’s central genetic evolutionary,[67, 68] and wider role, in immune modulation, through multiple various and diverse [69] pathways, including via peroxisomes and mitochondria. More generally, studies link low ‘D’ with negative wider health effects[70] including increased mortality.[71]

Early 2020 hypotheses linking COVID-19 infectivity / severity, to vitamin D, include; Grant,[72] Brown,[73] and Davies.[74] Helpful summaries include Benskin.[75]

The urgent need for major studies, has been raised in several BMJ Rapid Responses.[76-82]

Collectively, studies strongly suggest essential prohormone-and-nutrient vitamin D, is a far more effective potential basal COVID-19 treatment, than any additive pharmaceutical available to date. Pharmaceuticals and vaccines are ultimately appreciated adjuncts, to meeting essential evolutionary biological nutrient intake imperatives.

Immediately testing of all COVID-19 hospital patient admissions for vitamin D, and supplementing where necessary, according to established NICE guidelines,[83] would provide time for new protocol, RCT-clinical-trials.

Thus, there is every reason to ‘D’ test hospitalised COVID-19 patients. Arguably, not to do so, in light of study outcomes to date, risks negligence. Judges, if asked, may take a broad-view in weighing evidence.

Since late January 2020, a loose group, have requested major clinical studies of sufficient power, including in care-homes, and hospitals. I thank Cooper, Grant, Grimes, Lahore, Pfleger, Rhein, Shotwell, Sarkar, and others, for sharing.

However, high-level drive and funding, have been lacking, exacerbated by the Wellcome-Gates-Accelerator exclusion from funding of ‘D’. Consequentially, research establishments excluded ‘D’ trials, focusing instead on repurposing, and new drugs, including in care-home settings. ‘D’ studies would reduce the study patient pool: further, successful ‘D’ outcomes may reduce funding for long-shot studies.

‘D’ is a non-patentable product family, produced by evolution, for which humans can garner no credit, with limited financial drivers to satisfy eternal human-yearning for golden but elusive bonanzas.

Overall, if the depth of information, and number of studies on ‘D’, consistently pointing in the same direction, related to a new COVID-19 ‘drug’, with minimal side-effects, it would have been front-page-news. Additional clinical research would have been prioritised with determination and alacrity, and ‘D’ by now, licensed as a standard-treatment-protocol.

In terms of saving lives, mental health and economies, it is inconsequential whether deficiency is due to pre-existing low-levels at infection, or infection driven catabolism. IF the issue was dehydration, nobody would dream of saying, ‘withhold treatment until determination if dehydration was due to; fever, or low historic water intake pre-infection’.
Surely the simple steps, of ‘D’ supplementing, and/or testing-and-supplementing, of at least all COVID-19 patients, and high-risk-persons, should be implemented as a matter of urgency. Thought-provokingly hospital ‘D’ supplementation was standard practice in Daniel Drake Center for Post-Acute Care in Cincinnati for many years.[84]

Absent: authorities; redirecting resources and research-focus; changing public health and hospital testing and supplementation policies, to ones that fully recognise the often-discriminatory impact and extent of ‘D’ deficiency disease, particularly in high risk groups; and funding and driving of urgent further ‘D’ research; human-frailties dictate ‘D’ will be shuffled into the pending-tray; notwithstanding observed 50% ‘D’ related reductions in infection (Kaufman 190,000 patient-base),[27, 39, 41] and reductions in ICU patients by multiples (Castillo, Tan et al).[12, 17, 31, 45, 48]

Pragmatic recognition of the need to: supplement ‘D’ in; high risk groups, COVID-19 hospital patients, and more widely; eliminate the ‘social-injustice’[6, 7] of vitamin ‘D’ discrimination against; BAME, the Elderly, Carehomers and Obese; reduce infection, ICU pressures and mortality, so public fear: could provide a cheap resource-and-cost-saving basal treatment protocol, added to by vaccines, a ‘paradigm-shift’ enlightening bleak COVID-19 outlooks, empowering people, thus possible exit from D-deficient COVID-19 pandemic shadow-lands, steering a ‘D’ course to a brighter pastures.

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• 57] Fan, X., Wang, J., Song, M., Giovannucci, E., Ma, H., Jin, G., Hu, Z., Shen, H., & Hang, D. (July 4 2020). Vitamin D status and risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a large cohort: results from the UK Biobank, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, dgaa432. https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgaa432 Available at https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/105/10/dgaa432/5867168
• 58] Fox, B., & Sizemore, J. No association seen between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, or mortality. Epic Health Res. Netw (2020).
• 59] Tang, L., Liu, M., Ren, B., Wu, Z., Yu, X., Peng, C., Tian, J. (Aug. 2020). Sunlight ultraviolet radiation dose is negatively correlated with the percent positive of SARS-CoV-2 and four other common human coronaviruses in the U.S. Sci Total Environ. 19;751:141816. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141816. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32861186; PMCID: PMC7437529. Available at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32861186/
• 60] Kohlmeier, M. (2009). Avoidance of vitamin D deficiency to slow the COVID-19 pandemic. BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health 2020;3: doi: 10.1136/bmjnph-2020-000096. Available at https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/3/1/67
• 61] Moan, J., Dahlback, A., Ma, L., & Juzeniene, A. (209). Influenza, solar radiation and vitamin D. Dermato-endocrinology, 1(6), 307–309. https://doi.org/10.4161/derm.1.6.11357 Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3092571/
• 62] Juzeniene, A., Ma, L., Kwitniewski, M., Polev, G., Lagunova, Z., Dahlback, A., & Moan, J. (2010). The seasonality of pandemic and non-pandemic influenzas: the roles of solar radiation and vitamin D. Int J Infect Dis. 2010 Dec;14(12):e1099-105. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2010.09.002. Epub 2010 Oct 29. PMID: 21036090. Available at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21036090/
• 63] Padhi, S., Suvankar, S., Panda, V., Pati, A., & Panda, A. (2020). Lower levels of vitamin D are associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection and mortality in the Indian population: An observational study. International Immunopharmacology, 88, 107001. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.intimp.2020.107001 Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7489890/
• 64] Ilie, P., Stefanescu, S., Smith, L. (8th April 2020) The role of Vitamin D in the prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 infection and mortality. Square Research. Preprint. DOI:10.21203/rs.3.rs-21211/v1.
• 65] Mok, C., Ng, Y., Ahidjo, B., et al. (2020). Calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D, is a promising candidate for COVID-19 prophylaxis. bioRxiv; 2020. DOI: 10.1101/2020.06.21.162396. Available at https://europepmc.org/article/ppr/ppr179278
• 66] Biesalski H. K. (2020). Vitamin D deficiency and co-morbidities in COVID-19 patients – A fatal relationship? Nfs Journal, 20, 10–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nfs.2020.06.001 Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7276229/
• 67] Hanel, A., & Carlberg, C. (2020). ‘Vitamin D and evolution: Pharmacologic implications’, Biochem Pharmacol., 173(113595). DOI:10.1016/j.bcp.2019.07.024 Available at https://www.researchgate.net/publication/334851051_Vitamin_D_and_evoluti...
• 68] Ramagopalan, S., Heger, A., Berlanga, A., et al. (2010). ‘A ChIP-seq defined genome-wide map of Vitamin D receptor binding: associations with disease and evolution’, Genome research, 20(10), p.1352–1360. DOI: 10.1101/gr.107920.110
• 69] Cooper, I., Crofts, C., DiNicolantonio. J., et al. (2020) Relationships between hyperinsulinaemia, magnesium, vitamin D, thrombosis and COVID-19: rationale for clinical management. Open Heart 2020;7:e001356. doi:10.1136/openhrt-2020-001356 Available at https://openheart.bmj.com/content/openhrt/7/2/e001356.full.pdf
• 70] Kuwabara, A., Tsugawa, N., Ao, M. Ohta, J., & Tanakac, K. (16 September 2020) Vitamin D deficiency as the risk of respiratory tract infections in the institutionalized elderly: A prospective 1-year cohort study Clinical Nutrition ESPEN https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnesp.2020.08.012
• 71] Brenner, H., Holleczek, B., & Schöttker, B. (2020). Vitamin D Insufficiency and Deficiency and Mortality from Respiratory Diseases in a Cohort of Older Adults: Potential for Limiting the Death Toll during and beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic? Nutrients, 12(8), 2488. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12082488 Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7468980/
• 72] Grant, W., Lahore, H., McDonnell, S., Baggerly, C., French, C., Aliano, J., & Bhattoa, H. (30th March 2020 2nd version). Evidence that Vitamin D Supplementation Could Reduce Risk of Influenza and COVID-19 Infections and Deaths. Nutrients,12: 988. https://www.preprints.org/manuscript/202003.0235/v2
• 73] Brown, R., Sarkar, A. (29th Feb 2020). Vitamin D deficiency: a factor in COVID-19, progression, severity and mortality? – An urgent call for research. MitoFit Preprint Arch. doi:10.26124/mitofit:200001. https://www.mitofit.org/index.php/Brown_2020_MitoFit_Preprint_Arch
• 74] Davies, G., Garami, A., & Byers, J. (13th June 2020 - also earlier versions). Evidence Supports a Causal Role for Vitamin D Status in COVID-19 Outcomes. medRxiv 2020.05.01.20087965; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.01.20087965 Available at: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.05.01.20087965v3.full.pdf (Accessed: 24 June 2020).
• 75] Benskin L. L. (2020). A Basic Review of the Preliminary Evidence That COVID-19 Risk and Severity Is Increased in Vitamin D Deficiency. Frontiers in public health, 8, 513. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2020.00513 Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7513835/
• 76] Brown, R. (April 7, 2020). Vitamin D deficiency; and, death rates; are both disproportionately higher in elderly Italians, Spanish, Swedish Somali, and African Americans? A connection? Research urgently required!’: ‘Rapid Response: Re: Preventing a covid-19 pandemic - COVID-19’: BMJ, 368(m810). DOI: 10.1136/bmj.m810 Available at https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m810/rr-46
• 77] Brown, R., Rhein, H., Alipio, M., Annweiler, C., Gnaiger, E., Holick M., Boucher, B., Duque, G., Feron, F., Kenny, R., Montero-Odasso, M., Minisola, M., Rhodes, J., Haq., A, Bejerot, S., Reiss, L., Zgaga, L., Crawford, M., Fricker, R., Cobbold, P., Lahore, H., Humble, M., Sarkar, A., Karras, S., Iglesias-Gonzalez, J., Gezen-Ak, D., Dursun E., Cooper, I., Grimes, D. & de Voil C. (April 20, 2020). COVID-19 ’ICU’ risk – 20-fold greater in the Vitamin D Deficient. BAME, African Americans, the Older, Institutionalised and Obese, are at greatest risk. Sun and ‘D’-supplementation – Game-changers? Research urgently required’: ‘Rapid response re: Is ethnicity linked to incidence or outcomes of COVID-19?’: BMJ, 369(m1548). DOI: 10.1136/bmj.m1548. Available at: https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1548/rr-6 (Accessed: 24 June 2020).
• 78] Brown, R. (19th May 2020). ‘Low Vitamin D: high risk COVID-19 mortality? Seven preprints suggest that is case. Does low ‘D’ put BAME and elderly, at particular COVID-19 risk? Testing and Data Required’, BMJ, 369(m1548). DOI: 10.1136/bmj.m1548 Available at: https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m1548/rr-19.
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• 81] Brown, R. (25th June 2020). Pandemic - ‘Action This Day’ – Measure Vitamin D in COVID-19 Patients – Time is of Essence – BAME, Elderly and Obese are Disproportionately Dying. Covid-19: Public health agencies review whether vitamin D supplements could reduce risk. BMJ 2020;369:m2475 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m2475 (19th June 2020). Available at https://www.bmj.com/content/369/bmj.m2475/rr-1.
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• 86] Ye, K., Tang, T., Liao, X., Shaw B., Deng, M., et. al. (13th Oct 2020) Does Serum Vitamin D Level Affect COVID-19 Infection and Its Severity? - A Case-Control Study. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. DOI: 10.1080/07315724.2020.1826005 Available at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07315724.2020.1826005

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See also in VitaminDWiki

COVID-19 news
COVID-19 and Dark Skins
COVID-19 treated by Vitamin D - studies, reports, videos
As of March 31, 2024, the VitaminDWiki COVID page had:  trial results,   meta-analyses and reviews,   Mortality studies   see related:   Governments,   HealthProblems,   Hospitals,  Dark Skins,   All 26 COVID risk factors are associated with low Vit D,   Fight COVID-19 with 50K Vit D weekly   Vaccines   Take lots of Vitamin D at first signs of COVID   166 COVID Clinical Trials using Vitamin D (Aug 2023)   Prevent a COVID death: 9 dollars of Vitamin D or 900,000 dollars of vaccine - Aug 2023
5 most-recently changed Virus entries

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
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• 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
  • Note: Prevent a COVID death: 9 dollars of Vitamin D or 900,000 dollars of vaccine - Aug 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
• 3,600 studies found COVID Vaccination problems (REACT19) - Dec 2024
• 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
  • Probably multiple vaccinations wears out the immune system
  • Perhaps high vitamin D when vaccinated will not wear out the immune system 1  2   3
• 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

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Many clinical trials are underway which are testing Vitamin D to fight COVID-19