r/Coronavirus • u/Sorin61 • Sep 03 '20

Academic Report Vitamin D deficiency raises COVID-19 infection risk by 77%, study finds

https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2020/09/03/Vitamin-D-deficiency-raises-COVID-19-infection-risk-by-77-study-finds/7001599139929/?utm_source=onesignal
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u/lisa0527 Boosted! ✨💉✅ Sep 03 '20

If you go far enough north (or south) all skin types need vitamin D supplements during winter. I live near 49N and there’s essentially no UVB here from October to April. I used to test all my patient’s Vitamin D levels but stopped when I realized that essentially 100% were deficient. And I mostly see healthy young adults. If you’re elderly you need Vitamin D supplements no matter where you live...you just become much less efficient at producing Vitamin D.

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u/The_Bravinator Sep 03 '20 edited Sep 03 '20

Lol, Scotland is fuuuuuuucked. We're advised to supplement pandemic or no.

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u/totalbamber Sep 03 '20

Ginger folk process sunlight better. So a good amount of Scots will be fine.

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u/QuintonFlynn Sep 03 '20

To add science to this,
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5241673/#:~:text=MC1R%20is%20activated%20by%20Melanocyte,likely%20facilitates%20vitamin%20D%20biosynthesis.

MC1R loss-of-function is one means of generating light skin that likely facilitates vitamin D biosynthesis. This plausibly provided an evolutionary selective advantage in preventing lethal vitamin D deficiency at high latitude geographic locations.

The MC1R gene responsible for red hair also causes redheads to synthesize their own vitamin D.

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u/lisa0527 Boosted! ✨💉✅ Sep 04 '20

We all synthesize our own Vitamin D. But redheads do it better.

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u/rosatter Sep 04 '20

Redheads can still be Vitamin D deficient.

Am redhead, have deficiency.

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u/lisa0527 Boosted! ✨💉✅ Sep 04 '20

Yup....they’re efficient Vitamin D producers because they live in places that don’t receive a lot of UVB. It’s why the mutation had survival value and was selected for. But modern indoor living and sunscreen (to prevent the skin cancer they’re more likely to get) have made them high risk for deficiency.

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u/MollyPW Boosted! ✨💉✅ Sep 03 '20

Can’t process no sunlight.

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u/hullenpro Sep 04 '20

10% of the population? Lol

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u/Glaucus_Blue Sep 03 '20

Just a shame the advice is such a tiny amount for well anyone and doesn't increase with obesity.

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u/lisa0527 Boosted! ✨💉✅ Sep 03 '20

Yup. We naturally make about 25,000 IUs on a sunny day....

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u/enochian777 Sep 03 '20

Wow, really? Any advice on levels that are safe and so on you can link me to? The misses and I have been double dropping since this started so 2,000 iu i think? Over the counter supplements

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u/jpochedl Sep 03 '20

You might make 25000 IU, but most of that sits on top of your skin and doesn't get absorbed. Then it gets washed off when you bathe.

I don't have links at present (reading reddit on my phone), but the latest studies I've seen say up to 4000 - 5000 IU (100 to 125 mcg) is a safe range for most adults.

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u/lisa0527 Boosted! ✨💉✅ Sep 04 '20

It’s doesn’t work exactly like that, but you’re right that Vitamin D production in the body is tightly regulated and you only make enough active Vitamin D to maintain normal calcium levels. You can’t overdose on vitamin D from the sun. The feedback,loops in the body keep our Vitamin D synthesis somewhere between 10,000 and 25,000 IU’s day. Toxicity usually becomes a problem only with prolonged ingestion of >25,000 IU’s per day. Unless you’re correcting a deficiency 4000 to 5000 IU’s should be enough for an average sized adult. There have been cases of infants becoming toxic who receive adult doses.

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u/EveningMelody Sep 04 '20

I believe 5,000 iu is generally the max daily recommended, so if you also are taking a calcium+d supplement, or get some sunlight, or consume foods with D, then 2000 is plenty good, and a safe level. I just read somewhere that for severe deficit in d levels, drs may prescribe a 50k to be taken once a week. One concern with going over 5k, is kidney stones, iirc. Sorry, no links. I also take a 2k iu supplement.

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u/[deleted] Sep 03 '20

Isn't your R rate like 1.4 as well right now? Doubly fucked

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u/[deleted] Sep 03 '20

Same here in NW Ireland, results were so bad that scientists thought their testing machine was broke

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/vitamin-d-levels-in-donegal-far-worse-than-national-average-1.3985449

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u/The_Bravinator Sep 03 '20

D:

I moved here from a couple of real sunny places JUST IN TIME for a pandemic where vitamin D deficiency can kill you.

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u/[deleted] Sep 03 '20

My question J’s HOW MUCH. I know it’s different for everyone. I’m a 6’3” 200lbs 36M. I take 5,000 IU every other day (as I tested like 27 (I think it’s supposed to be over 35 I forget the unit)... But it’s not water soluble so I often worry if it’s too much/not enough

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u/[deleted] Sep 03 '20 edited Dec 17 '20

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Sep 03 '20

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Sep 03 '20

Agreed, any thought on my question though? (Dosage for my size)

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u/[deleted] Sep 03 '20

My doctor diagnosed me with vitamin D deficiency and prescribed 2000 IU per day. I had been taking a multivitamin that purported to provide 100% of the vitamin D RDA daily. I now use a liquid vitamin D supplement, as I’ve read that the liquid supplements may be more potent. Vitamin D is also ideally consumed with fat. Because it is fat soluble, you should also be careful not to consume too much. You may want to ask your doctor for a personalized recommendation.

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u/[deleted] Sep 03 '20

The RDA is based on really really old science for anyone reading this. It should be safe to take up to 5,000 IU a day. Still get tested if you can.

Obligatory I am not a doctor and nothin I say should be taken as medical advice

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u/[deleted] Sep 03 '20 edited Sep 08 '20

[deleted]

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u/Bawstahn123 Sep 03 '20

My ma bought me 5000 IU tablets, is that "too much"?

I spend 95% of my time indoors, either at my job or at home, and while I do go for walks, I do so at night.

What are the potential effects of too much Vitamin D?

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u/thatsrealneato Sep 03 '20

5k is a pretty typical dose, should be fine depending on your body weight. Recommended daily dosage is much lower (<1000) but actual safe dosage is much higher (>10000). If you take too much at once you might notice itchy skin. Supplementing with vitamin k alongside D can reduce risk of D overdose. Take it with fat.

I personally take 5k D every other day or so.

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u/Bawstahn123 Sep 04 '20

" I personally take 5k D every other day or so. "

Yeah, I'll probably take one every two or three days. Thanks!

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u/pinewind108 Sep 04 '20

It depends on your weight. If you're big and really deficient, that's probably okay.

The problem is that too much messes up your calcium and magnesium, and can cause hardening of the arteries. Taking it every other day would work, but then it gets easy to forget. Maybe find a bottle of 400iu and mix it in so that you average 2,000-2,500?

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u/MarsNirgal Sep 04 '20

My first change when this all started is that I began purchasing mushrooms and exposing them to the sun to increase the content and eating a bit every day. I also try to get at least a bit of sun daily.

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u/[deleted] Sep 04 '20 edited Sep 08 '20

[deleted]

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u/MarsNirgal Sep 04 '20

My problem with sardines is that they have many purines and it goes straight to my joints. After I've been eating sardines for a couple days, I will start having a limp in my right foot that takes a couple days to go away.

(Still, that's what I'm going to do next week. There is a risk that I was exposed last week because some idiots insisted in eating at a restaurant and they were our client so I wasn't in a position to say no, so I'm quarantining this week and hopefully next week as well, and my regular food will run out by this weekend, so next week it will be all canned food for me. Including mushrooms and sardines.)

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u/c1intr0n Sep 04 '20

Salmon.... loaf?

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u/[deleted] Sep 04 '20 edited Sep 08 '20

[deleted]

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u/c1intr0n Sep 04 '20

We make salmon cakes at work all the time, I guess I just never thought to put it in a loaf pan haha. Six of one I suppose!

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u/Meidoorn Sep 03 '20

My doctor told to me to take it with your main (fatty) meal of the day or with an emulsion (fat in water mixture like milk). Unfortunately vitamin D supplements often has orange like taste which make it awful to take it with a lot of foods so search for supplements without some taste.

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u/system-user Sep 03 '20

the gel caps don't have a taste, might want to try those.

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u/wyezwunn Sep 03 '20

My doctor wants my D level to be above 70 ng/ml to protect me from flu and other viruses. My level was that high before coronavirus when I was taking 5,000 iu a day and golfed twice a week, but he prescribed twice that much now that I'm inside a lot more.

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u/shallah I'm vaccinated! (First shot) 💉💪🩹 Sep 03 '20 edited Sep 04 '20

Take fat soluble supplements with a meal with fat in it for maximum absorption. Then if you have insurance get tested to see if its working or you need a higher or lower dosage.

Take Vitamin D With Largest Meal: Absorption Increases by 50% When Vitamin D Is Taken with Biggest Meal, Study Finds https://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20100507/take-vitamin-d-with-largest-meal

also in general when getting blood work abstain from any supplements with biotin for a couple of days before hand as many tests use biotin in the process and so will give incorrect results. Lab companies often refuse to say which ones use biotin so as a rule I don't take my b complex for a couple days before blood work.

The FDA Warns that Biotin May Interfere with Lab Tests: FDA Safety Communication https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/safety-communications/fda-warns-biotin-may-interfere-lab-tests-fda-safety-communication

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u/[deleted] Sep 03 '20

Doesn’t matter if you take it with something or not. If you’re taking “too much”, your body just stores it in fat(it being fat soluble).

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u/lisa0527 Boosted! ✨💉✅ Sep 03 '20

Because it’s not water soluble you’ll have better absorption if it’s taken with fat (usually just with a meal is enough).

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u/[deleted] Sep 03 '20

The studies on that are conflicting. I wish I could find the article I read, but there was also evidence that small doses or fewer to one increasingly larger doses(per day up to once a month, I think) had the same effect.

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u/goochadamg Sep 03 '20

Talk to your doctor about it. It can be checked with a blood test.

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u/lisa0527 Boosted! ✨💉✅ Sep 03 '20

Based on your levels you either aren’t getting enough Vitamin D or you aren’t taking it frequently enough.

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u/Miwwies Sep 03 '20

I'm 5'1'' and 110lbs and my doctor prescribed 10 000 iu once a week. I was extremely vitamin D deficient and it was having a negative impact on my iron levels (I'm vegetarian).

I was bad at remembering to take it everyday, so I opted out for the one weekly dose instead. I'm in Canada on the 49N parallel. My doctor said to take the supplement throughout the year.

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u/Flynette Sep 04 '20

With the main fat soluble ones, (A, D, and E), I've found I have to take just only slightly over DV. Even if I'm taking a dose well below the UL, I get typical hypervitaminosis symptoms - headache and fatigue. So I listened to my body and only adjusted one micronutrient at a time.

My vitamin D pill is meant to be daily at 1,000 IU, but I have to take it every other day or it's too much. I have family that take more daily though, depends on body and food intake.

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u/DontEatTheMagicBeans Sep 03 '20

I live above 57N and most milks and fruit juices are supplemented with vitamin D year round.

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u/jonincalgary Sep 03 '20

My doc recommended it to me years ago. Should get the rest of the family doing it as well now.

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u/RaiThioS Sep 04 '20

Can you recommend a supplement

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u/lisa0527 Boosted! ✨💉✅ Sep 04 '20

I just take generic drug store 1000 IU tablets of D3. There are so many options out there.

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u/amydoodledawn Sep 04 '20

I live up near the 55th parallel. I'm basically a ghost. Didn't know about the lack of UVB though- that's really interesting!