The goal of this systematic review was to summarize and determine if there was a link between vitamin D status and COVID-19 infection and prognosis.
1. “Vitamin D is a lipid-soluble vitamin that is essential for maintaining good health, growth, and strong bones.”
2. Vitamin D can be produced in the skin with the help of exposure to sunlight.
3. Most foods naturally contain very little vitamin D.
4. Hypovitaminosis D is associated with cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, cancer, and increased death rates.
5. “Advanced age and high body-fat mass leads to an increased risk of deficiency of vitamin D.”
6. “A mild vitamin D deficiency does not cause symptoms, but may cause weakness, aches, and pain in general.”
7. “Vitamin D has been recognized as essential to the skeletal system and plays a major role in monitoring the immune system, perhaps including immune reactions to viral infection.”
8. Low vitamin D is associated with increased risks of influenza and respiratory tract infection.
9. “The severity of influenza and respiratory-tract infections may be increased by vitamin D insufficiency.”
10. Vitamin D deficiency predisposes one to infections of the viral respiratory tract.
11. Vitamin D can balance and control immunity and oxidative reactions against COVID-19 infection.
12. “On survival analysis, extremely vitamin D-deficient patients had a 50% chance of death after 10 days of hospitalization, whereas those with sufficient vitamin D had a 5% risk of death.”
13. “Correlational and cross-sectional observational studies performed in various parts of the world have shown that vitamin D-deficient areas have a higher prevalence of COVID-19 patients.”
14. There is a higher prevalence of mortality, and critical cases of COVID-19 are more common among vitamin D-deficient patients.
15. Hospitalization of COVID-19 patients was associated with vitamin D deficiency by 77%.
16. COVID-19 disease severity is associated with vitamin D deficiency by 95%.
17. Mortality is significantly more common among severely vitamin D-deficient patients.
18. “The rate of COVID-19 was higher in a vitamin D-deficient group than a vitamin D-sufficient group.”
19. “Vitamin D can adequately modulate and regulate the immune and oxidative response to infection with COVID-19.”
20. “Blood vitamin D status can determine the risk of being infected with COVID-19, seriousness of COVID-19, and mortality from COVID-19.”
21. “Maintaining appropriate levels of vitamin D through supplementation or natural methods, e.g., sunlight on the skin, is recommended for the public to be able to cope with the pandemic.”
We have reviewed eight other studies pertaining to vitamin D and COVID-19.
Dan Murphy has provided weekly reviews of pertinent articles for the chiropractic community for 25 years. Topics range from nutrition, neurology, orthopedics, biomechanics, diet, exercise, immunology, whiplash injury, radiology, clinical anatomy, chiropractic care, and more. Here is what one subscriber said: “I am very grateful for keeping me in the loop of knowledge. These article reviews are priceless.” Interested chiropractors can sign up for this service on his website: www.danmurphydc.com.
1. Yisak H, Ewunetei A, Kefale B, Mamuye M, Teshome F, Ambaw B, Yideg Yitbarek G. Effects of Vitamin D on COVID-19 Infection and Prognosis: A Systematic Review. Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 2021 Jan 7; 14:31-38. doi: 10.2147/RMHP.S291584. PMID: 33447107; PMCID: PMC7800698.
