{"id":1760540,"date":"2022-12-03T06:30:01","date_gmt":"2022-12-03T11:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1760540"},"modified":"2022-12-03T08:04:20","modified_gmt":"2022-12-03T13:04:20","slug":"new-study-on-vitamin-d-combating-covid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-study-on-vitamin-d-combating-covid\/","title":{"rendered":"New Study on Vitamin D Combating COVID"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fnew-study-on-vitamin-d-combating-covid%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1760540&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p><em>Want a simple, low-cost way to help protect you from COVID infection, hospitalization and death without getting a jab? This new large-scale study with 220,265 patients confirms it works and has no side effects, even though it was written off as \u2018misinformation\u2019 during the pandemic.<\/em><\/p>\n<div>\n[embedded content]\n<\/div>\n<h3 id=\"expanderHead\" data-jsid=\"expanderHead\">STORY AT-A-GLANCE<\/h3>\n<div id=\"expanderContent\" data-jsid=\"expanderContent\">\n<ul>\n<li><span id=\"bcr_rptStory_cslStory_0\">Researchers from Johns Hopkins University, the University of Chicago and the Department of Veterans Health Affairs conducted a large-scale pharmacoepidemiologic study of the association between <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/t-vitamin-d\">vitamin D<\/a> and COVID-19 infection and mortality<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span id=\"bcr_rptStory_cslStory_1\">Those who took vitamin D2 supplements had a 28% lower risk of COVID-19 infection, while those taking vitamin D3 had a 20% lower risk<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span id=\"bcr_rptStory_cslStory_2\">Death from COVID-19 was also lower among those taking vitamin D \u2014 33% lower among those taking vitamin D3 and 25% lower among those taking vitamin D2<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span id=\"bcr_rptStory_cslStory_3\">If the entire U.S. population in 2020 had supplemented with vitamin D3, it would have prevented 4 million COVID-19 cases and 116,000 deaths<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span id=\"bcr_rptStory_cslStory_4\">I strongly recommend getting your vitamin D from proper sun exposure if possible, as it will provide numerous other benefits, many of which are only beginning to be understood<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>Optimizing your vitamin D level is a foundational element to lower your risk of COVID-19. This simple step will also help you ward off many types of viral infections, because vitamin D is an immunomodulatory agent.<\/p>\n<p>This point \u2014 that vitamin D helps combat COVID-19 \u2014 was widely censored and deemed \u201cmisinformation\u201d during the pandemic. But yet another study \u2014 this one published in Scientific Reports<sup><span id=\"edn1\" data-hash=\"#ednref1\">1<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0\u2014 shows the association between vitamin D and COVID-19 protection cannot be ignored.<\/p>\n<p>About half the U.S. population has deficient levels of vitamin D, and rates of vitamin D deficiency are even higher in people with darker skin, those living in higher latitudes in the winter, nursing home residents and people with reduced sun exposure. Among groups with low levels of vitamin D, rates of COVID-19 are higher.<sup><span id=\"edn2\" data-hash=\"#ednref2\">2<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<h2>Vitamin D Supplementation Reduces COVID-19 Infection, Death<\/h2>\n<p>Researchers from Johns Hopkins University, the University of Chicago and the Department of Veterans Health Affairs conducted a large-scale pharmacoepidemiologic study of the association between vitamin D3 and D2 supplementation and the probability of COVID-19 infection and mortality.<sup><span id=\"edn3\" data-hash=\"#ednref3\">3<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>\u201cVitamin D deficiency has long been associated with reduced immune function that can lead to viral infection. Several studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency \u2026 increases the risk of infection with COVID-19,\u201d they wrote.<sup><span id=\"edn4\" data-hash=\"#ednref4\">4<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>In the video above, John Campbell, a retired nurse and teacher based in England, detailed the findings. The study involved a large population of veterans, including 220,265 patients supplemented with vitamin D3 before and during the pandemic, 34,710 supplemented with vitamin D2 and 407,860 untreated patients.<sup><span id=\"edn5\" data-hash=\"#ednref5\">5<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Those who took vitamin D2 supplements had a 28% lower risk of COVID-19 infection, while those taking vitamin D3 had a 20% lower risk. Please note that vitamin D2 is a plant-based version of vitamin D and I do not recommend it. Death from COVID-19 was also lower among those taking vitamin D \u2014 33% lower among those taking vitamin D3 and 25% lower among those taking vitamin D2.<sup><span id=\"edn6\" data-hash=\"#ednref6\">6<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese associated reductions in risk are substantial and justify more significant exploration and confirmation using RCTs [randomized controlled trials],\u201d the researchers explained. \u201cThis is particularly important given the high rates of vitamin D deficiency in the U.S. population and COVID-19.\u201d<sup><span id=\"edn7\" data-hash=\"#ednref7\">7<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>The veterans were taking varying doses of vitamin D, ranging from 20 IU which is absolutely worthless and no different than placebo, to 50,000 IU. Usually 50 IU doses are given once a week. I am convinced this is inferior to taking 8,000 IU every day.<\/p>\n<p>However, those taking higher doses received greater benefits than those taking lower dosages. Further, veterans with very low vitamin D levels (between zero and 19 ng\/ml) had the largest decrease in COVID-19 infection after supplementation.<sup><span id=\"edn8\" data-hash=\"#ednref8\">8<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn response to these findings, physicians might consider regularly prescribing vitamin D3 to patients with deficient levels to protect them against COVID-19 infection and related mortality. The 50,000 IU dosage may be especially beneficial,\u201d according to the study.<sup><span id=\"edn9\" data-hash=\"#ednref9\">9<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Black veterans also had greater reductions in COVID-19 risk (29% decrease) following supplementation than white veterans (18% decrease).<sup><span id=\"edn10\" data-hash=\"#ednref10\">10<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0\u201cAs a safe, widely available and affordable treatment, vitamin D may help to reduce the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic,\u201d the researchers concluded.<sup><span id=\"edn11\" data-hash=\"#ednref11\">11<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<h2>Vitamin Could Prevent 4 Million COVID Cases, 116,000 Deaths<\/h2>\n<p>When the researchers extrapolated their vitamin D findings to the entire U.S. population in 2020, they found supplementation with vitamin D3 would have prevented 4 million COVID-19 cases and 116,000 deaths.<sup><span id=\"edn12\" data-hash=\"#ednref12\">12<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Even applying the data to the Department of Veterans Administration, which had 343,094 COVID-19 cases and 14,981 deaths through October 2, 2021, vitamin D supplementation would have resulted in 69,000 fewer COVID-19 cases and 4,900 fewer deaths from March 2020 to October 2021.<\/p>\n<p>Further, \u201cThese back-of-the-envelope calculations may be conservative given possible reductions in COVID-19 transmission due to the general population risk reduction from broader supplementation,\u201d according to the researchers. \u201cGiven our findings, the absence of severe side effects, and the widespread availability of vitamin D3 at low cost, vitamin D3 presents a unique opportunity to reduce the spread and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic.\u201d<sup><span id=\"edn13\" data-hash=\"#ednref13\">13<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<h2>Research Confirms Low Vitamin D Raises Risk of Infection<\/h2>\n<p>Being aware of your vitamin D levels, and increasing your levels if you\u2019re deficient, is one of the simplest steps you can take to stay well. Vitamin D receptors are present in nearly all cells of the human immune system, including monocytes\/macrophages, T cells, B cells, natural killer cells, dendritic cells.<\/p>\n<p>Vitamin D has multiple actions on the immune system, including enhancing the production of antimicrobial peptides by immune cells, reducing damaging pro-inflammatory cytokines and promoting the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines.<sup><span id=\"edn14\" data-hash=\"#ednref14\">14<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0This has multiple benefits for avoiding infections. In terms of COVID-19:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>One study of 489 patients found those with vitamin D deficiency had a 77% increased risk of COVID-19 infection.<sup><span id=\"edn15\" data-hash=\"#ednref15\">15<\/span><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>People with low vitamin D levels had a 59% increased risk of severe COVID-19 infection.<sup><span id=\"edn16\" data-hash=\"#ednref16\">16<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span id=\"edn17\" data-hash=\"#ednref17\">17<\/span><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>Those with low vitamin D had a 45% increase in COVID-19 infection and a 95% increase in hospitalizations.<sup><span id=\"edn18\" data-hash=\"#ednref18\">18<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span id=\"edn19\" data-hash=\"#ednref19\">19<\/span><\/sup><\/li>\n<li>A 53% increase in COVID-19 infection rates was found among people with vitamin D deficiency (<\u200920 ng\/mL) compared to those with levels of\u200955 ng\/ml or higher.<sup><span id=\"edn20\" data-hash=\"#ednref20\">20<\/span>,<\/sup><sup><span id=\"edn21\" data-hash=\"#ednref21\">21<\/span><\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>It\u2019s clear that people with higher levels of vitamin D are also less likely to die from COVID-19 \u2014 and one study suggested that, theoretically, \u201ca mortality rate close to zero\u201d could be achieved if your vitamin D level reaches 50 ng\/ml.<sup><span id=\"edn22\" data-hash=\"#ednref22\">22<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>The study authors believe that low vitamin D levels are not a \u201cside effect\u201d of COVID-19 but rather are a predictor of infection. As vitamin D plays a role in immune function, the epidemic of vitamin D deficiency is increasing the spread of many \u201cdiseases of civilization,\u201d they note in the journal Nutrients, such as heart disease,<sup><span id=\"edn23\" data-hash=\"#ednref23\">23<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0along with reducing protection against infections:<sup><span id=\"edn24\" data-hash=\"#ednref24\">24<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>\u201cOne strong pillar in the protection against any type of virus infection is the strength of our immune system. Unfortunately, thus far, this unquestioned basic principle of nature has been more or less neglected by the responsible authorities.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>It is well known that our modern lifestyle is far from optimal with respect to nutrition, physical fitness, and recreation. In particular, many people are not spending enough time outside in the sun, even in summer.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p><em>The consequence is widespread vitamin D deficiency, which limits the performance of their immune systems, resulting in the increased spread of some preventable diseases of civilization, reduced protection against infections, and reduced effectiveness of vaccination.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Deficiency of vitamin D3 is also \u201cone of the main reasons for severe courses of SARS-CoV-2 infections,\u201d they explained, pointing out that fatality rates tend to be elevated in populations with very low vitamin D3 levels, including elderly people, black people and people with comorbidities.<sup><span id=\"edn25\" data-hash=\"#ednref25\">25<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>At the end of October 2020, I also published my own vitamin D review in the peer-reviewed journal Nutrients,<sup><span id=\"edn26\" data-hash=\"#ednref26\">26<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0co-written with William Grant, Ph.D., and Dr. Carol Wagner with the GrassrootsHealth expert vitamin D panel. At that time, 14 observational studies offered evidence that vitamin D levels are inversely correlated with the incidence or severity of COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p>As noted in our paper, dark skin color, increased age, preexisting chronic conditions and vitamin D deficiency are all features of severe COVID disease and, of these, vitamin D deficiency is the only factor that is readily and easily modifiable.<\/p>\n<h2>It\u2019s Best to Get Your Vitamin D From the Sun<\/h2>\n<p>Optimizing your vitamin D levels isn\u2019t only about preventing COVID-19; it supports health in multiple ways. It\u2019s been shown that people genetically predisposed to vitamin D deficiency were 25% more likely to die from any cause compared to those with different genetics conducive to healthy vitamin D levels.<sup><span id=\"edn27\" data-hash=\"#ednref27\">27<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>The data came from researchers with the Australian Center for Precision Health at the University of South Australia, who also revealed that vitamin D deficiency driven by genetics increases the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, respiratory diseases and cancer.<sup><span id=\"edn28\" data-hash=\"#ednref28\">28<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0A deficiency in vitamin D has also been implicated in such problems as multiple sclerosis<sup><span id=\"edn29\" data-hash=\"#ednref29\">29<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0and Parkinson\u2019s disease.<sup><span id=\"edn30\" data-hash=\"#ednref30\">30<\/span><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve long recommended a vitamin D level of 40 to 60 ng\/ml for optimal health and disease prevention. However, higher levels of 60 to 80 ng\/ml may be even better \u2014 a level upward of 100 ng\/mL also appears safe and beneficial for certain conditions,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/takecontrol.substack.com\/p\/magnesium-vitamin-d-supplementation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">especially cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>I strongly recommend getting your vitamin D from proper sun exposure if at all possible. This is because not only will adequate sun exposure naturally raise your vitamin D levels to healthy levels, but it will provide numerous other benefits, many of which are only beginning to be understood.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s quite possible that having higher levels of vitamin D serves as a marker for healthy sun exposure, which in turn may be responsible for many of the beneficial health effects attributed to vitamin D \u2014 including increased longevity and lower cancer risk.<\/p>\n<p>Many people are not aware that only 5% of your body\u2019s melatonin \u2014 a potent anticancer agent \u2014 is produced in your pineal gland. The other 95% is produced inside your mitochondria \u2014 provided you get proper sun exposure. So vitamin D is more than likely a biomarker or surrogate for sun exposure, which is intricately involved in melatonin production.<sup><span id=\"edn31\" data-hash=\"#ednref31\">31<\/span><\/sup>\u00a0However, if you\u2019re unable to get adequate sun exposure each day, supplementation may be necessary.<\/p>\n<h2>How to Determine Your Vitamin D Levels<\/h2>\n<p>The only way to determine how much sun exposure is enough and\/or how much vitamin D3 you need to take is to measure your vitamin D level, ideally twice a year. The D*Action Project by GrassrootsHealth is a cost-effective way to do this, while simultaneously progressing valuable research.<\/p>\n<p>To participate, simply purchase a D*Action Measurement Kit and follow the registration instructions included. When supplementing, also remember to take synergistic effects with other nutrients into account. If you take high-dose vitamin D, you will also need to increase your intake of:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Magnesium<\/li>\n<li>Vitamin K2<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These three nutrients \u2014 vitamins D and K2, and magnesium \u2014 all work in tandem and rely on sufficient amounts of each to work optimally. Once you\u2019ve confirmed your vitamin D levels via testing, remember to retest in three to four months to make sure you\u2019ve reached your target level.<\/p>\n<p>If you have, then you know you\u2019re taking the correct dosage and\/or getting the right amount of sun exposure. If you\u2019re still low (or have reached a level above 80 ng\/ml), you\u2019ll need to adjust your dosage accordingly and retest again in another three to four months.<\/p>\n<p><em>Originally published\u00a0December 02, 2022 on Mercola.com<\/em><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"heading\" class=\"title link16\" data-jsid=\"sourcesReferencesBtn\">Sources and References<\/h3>\n<p><i>Epoch Health articles are for informational purposes and are not a substitute for individualized medical advice. Please consult a trusted professional for personal medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment. Have a question? Email us at <a href=\"mailto:AskADoctor@epochtimes.nyc\">AskADoctor@epochtimes.nyc<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<div class=\"author_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"one_author_block round\">\n<div class=\"top_row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theepochtimes.com\/author-dr-mercola\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/WEB_JosephMercola.jpg\" alt=\"Joseph Mercola\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Dr. Joseph Mercola is the founder of Mercola.com. An osteopathic physician, best-selling author, and recipient of multiple awards in the field of natural health, his primary vision is to change the modern health paradigm by providing people with a valuable resource to help them take control of their health.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Want a simple, low-cost way to help protect you from COVID infection, hospitalization and death without getting a jab? This new large-scale study with 220,265 patients confirms it works and<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1682972,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[547],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1760540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-bongino-report"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1760540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1760540"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1760540\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1682972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1760540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1760540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1760540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}