A new study revealed a close relation between the low average levels of Vitamin D and the high number of Covid-19 cases.
The research was led by scientists at United Kingdom’s Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust and was published in a journal.
What is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is a nutrient food that is needed to maintain health and the strength of bones. What Vitamin D does is it helps the body absorb calcium from food and supplements.
It 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).
Relation between Vitamin D and Covid-19
The coronavirus is known to cause an explosion of these proinflammatory cytokines, called a cytokine storm.
It 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).
The reason for this was attributed to the behavioral patterns of adults in southern Europe. In the southern part, people, particularly the elderly, avoid strong sun while skin pigmentation also reduces natural vitamin D synthesis.
A doctor said that Vitamin D has shown to protect against acute respiratory infections. Moreover, older adults, who are the group most deficient in vitamin D, are also the ones most seriously affected by Covid-19.
According to another study, it was found out that 75% of people in institutions, such as hospitals and care homes, were severely deficient in vitamin D.
Small ways to increase vitamin D in the body is by exposing yourself to more sunlight, eating more fatty fish and seafood, including mushrooms and egg yolks a lot more in your diet and consider taking supplements.
If you are vitamin D deficient, these changes in your lifestyle may restore it to a huge extent.