Posted on 05/06/2020 8:34:35 PM PDT by MtnClimber
For the most part, supplements are a waste of money at best and harmful at worst. But could vitamin D be a notable exception – now more than ever? Let's take a look
(snip)
Vitamin D Might Be a Special Case
However, vitamin D could be something of an exception as it’s not so easy to get from food and is widely deficient across populations, including in the US. This and the fact that as warmer months arrive we're still largely locked down and unable to take full advantage of vitamin D from the sun makes it worthy of study in relation to COVID-19.
(snip)
· In one study it was found that 100% of ICU COVID-19 patients less than 75 years old had vitamin D insufficiency.
· In another, out of 55 patients with higher blood serum levels of vitamin D metabolite (more than 30ng/ml 25-hydroxycholecalciferol), 47 had mild symptoms, 4 had “ordinary” symptoms, 2 had severe symptoms and 2 had critical symptoms. Of the 157 patients with lower vitamin D (less than 30ng/ml 25-hydroxycholecalciferol), 2 had mild symptoms, 55 ordinary symptoms, 54 severe symptoms and 46 critical symptoms.
· The third found that across European countries, there was a strong association between vitamin D levels and per capita COVID-19 cases and mortality.
A huge dollop of caution is needed here, as with like all rapid release coronavirus-related research these are non-peer reviewed preprints. Moreover, there’s the usual limitation of correlation versus causation. Lower vitamin D is associated with increasing age and darker skin, both of which link independently with decreased immune function – directly in the case of old age or via higher diabetes rates (linked to higher COVID-19 risk) in ethnic populations.
(Excerpt) Read more at acsh.org ...
You can get sunlight for free so, if this is true, it will get no press coverage. Why would media networks offend their big-bucks pharma advertisers?
Vitamin D production efficiency decreases a lot as you get older. Not a simple matter of getting some sun or taking a Vitamin D supplement.
I never took supplements before but am taking vitamin C and a zinc supplement also. Been thinking about D but I’m not going to take anything else.
Vit D deficiency is common as all get out, and now let’s find out if it’s behind the so-called mysterious child COVID illnesses, or at least a factor.
Those governors who have closed beaches and parks have blood on their hands!!
I’m a believer in getting tested twice a year - people overestimate what they get from the sun. It’s not as if you can go boating in the Midwest for 4 hours a weekend and be sufficient in it.
“For the most part, supplements are a waste of money at best and harmful at worst.”
wrong. Certainly taking decent doses of vitamin C and D daily has been helpful to me in reducing the severity of colds.
I didn’t read the whole of this story- but had researched a bit this issue the other day and found that Vitamin D subdues the ‘Cytokine Storm’ that develops in people with Covid 19- where the body starts to attack itself because of an immune system that goes haywire trying to deal with the virus
i think taking the Vit D had like around a 19% calming effect on the out of control Cytokine storm reaction if i recall right-
19% doesn’t sound like a lot- but it kinda is- Chemo mop up treatments are only around 5-7% effective in ‘cleaning up’ left over cancer cells- but doctors always recommend it- i guess only because the person taking it won’t have to think in their mind later if cancer comes back that they didn’t do everything [possible to try to combat it- When combating something deadly- you want to throw everything at it you can for the best possible chance to beat it- at least most people do
P4L
If vitamins are a waste, why does a list of minimum daily requirements exist?
Vitamins wouldn’t help if you were older?
Not only that, but depending on how far north you live, i.e., northern states, there isn’t enough UVA rays reaching you if you stay outside all day long.
Couple that with lower Vit D decreasing as age increases, most are D deficient. Why do you think they started putting D in milk and other foods.
Yeah, supplements are worthless. Except that our foods are severely lacking in basic nutrients and minerals, for the past 80 or so years, so you have to get them somewhere.
Some doctor called taking supplements as “expensive urine” and I’d MUCH rather piss if away than pay for being sick all the time, like a lot of people are.
It’s “anecdotal”, but since I started taking supplements, I don’t get sick anymore. No flus, colds, etc. Course I quit shaking hands years ago. And up til this media hyped virus panic came along, people made fun of me for that. LOL Guess who’s laughing now.
I also do not agree that vitamins are a waste. If you have a balanced diet then much of a vitamin supplement may be removed by your kidneys, but if you are deficient in something then why would a vitamin supplement not help?
Probably need a few months of good vitamin D levels for best effect.
No better time to start!
yeah certainly can’t couldn’t hurt- but supplements work too- D is one supplement that really does work quickly- some supplements don’t work well- but D does- D3 especially- (I was down to 8 on my Vit D count in blood test- but got it back up to 35 where it is supposed to be very quickly with prescribed mega dose-
The study i read about was studying D3 supplements on elderly who had covid
From: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5031366/
The extraskeletal actions of vitamin D are legion as befits a molecule (1,25(OH)2D, the active metabolite of vitamin) whose receptor is found in nearly all cells, many of which also contain the enzyme (CYP27B1) that can produce 1,25(OH)2D in the same cell. Indeed, thousands of cellular and animal studies indicate that vitamin D signaling has a profound effect on most physiologic processes, including cancer prevention, improved cardiovascular function, diabetes prevention, prevention of obesity, improved muscle function, enhanced barrier function of the skin, hair follicle cycling, and prevention of immune related diseases. Indeed, association studies in humans have linked vitamin D deficiency to diseases resulting from disruption of these physiologic processes. However, large RCTs that clearly demonstrate the promising potential of vitamin D in the prevention and treatment of these diseases have either not been done or have produced mixed results. Part of the problem relates to lack of pharmaceutical support for large RCTs involving a drug (i.e., vitamin D) that cannot be patented, or the inability to give high enough doses of the active metabolite or its analogs to get an effect without serious side effects, such as hypercalcemia and hypercalciuria. However, several large government supported RCTs are ongoing and the results from which are eagerly awaited.
UVA raises cancer concerns. (Vitamin D3 supplement)
UVB is what makes your skin product vitamin D3.
Washing your skin with soap for up to 60 minutes after sunny exercise may wash your newly produced vitamin D away. (Vitamin D3 supplement)
Insights welcome.
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