Vitamin D: Planners, Searchers, and Researchers
Public health authorities, the planners, recommend only modest amounts of Vitamin D, enough to prevent rickets. That’s true but misleading and contributes to public health disasters like the Covid 19 pandemic. It turns out Vitamin D is a hormone as well and other metabolic systems require higher levels to reduce inflammation and prevent various chronic conditions. Adequate vitamin D was easy when most spent their days hunting, fishing, and farming outside in the sun (and ate plenty of fish?).
People in the UK are hit hard by respiratory infections each year, and hard by Covid because most have chronically low vitamin D levels. (‘Alarmingly high’ vitamin D deficiency in the United Kingdom, ScienceDaily, December 15, 2020). Yet the UK public health authorities recommend only 400 IU a day supplements (when most research recommends 4000 IU a day).
Supporting the above claims:
• Low Vitamin D Levels Tied to Odds for Severe COVID (WebMD, September 25, 2020)
• Analysis of vitamin D level among asymptomatic and critically ill COVID-19 patients and its correlation with inflammatory markers (Nature, November 19, 2020)
• People with vitamin D deficiency at higher risk of severe COVID-19, says study (News-Medical.net, December 4, 2020)
• [added] Vitamin D and COVID 19: The Evidence for Prevention and Treatment of Coronavirus (SARS CoV 2), MedCram December 10, 2020. Over four million views as of January 2, 2021.
• Vitamin D research discussed in previous Economic Thinking posts.
• [added] Sunshine vitamin observed to lower coronavirus risks (The Monitor, December 28, 2020) [Dr. quoted in article says evidence has “only been observational”. Maybe he, or reporter will have time to search online. Vitamin D Mitigates COVID-19, Say 40+ Patient Studies (listed below) – Yet BAME, Elderly, Care-homers, and Obese are still ‘D’ deficient, thus at greater COVID-19 risk – WHY? “Vitamin D reduces COVID-19; infection; severity; ICU admission and mortality: as clearly evidenced by; immune biology, observational and interventional studies, and wider considerations of; latitude, seasonal UVB exposure, and national supplementation policies: the uncertainty is the quantum: but studies suggest ‘D’ effects are likely large – 50% less infectivity – multiples lower ICU and mortality rate.”]
• Ep104 – Vitamin D and Viral Special with Dr. David Grimes et al – Vital Viewing! (Fat Emperor Podcast, December 28, 2020). Discussion with Dr. David Grimes, Dr. David Anderson, and Chris Williams.
Again, research shows adequate Vitamin D levels are key to reducing chronic diseases and Covid severity. Yet the FDA and other public health authorities resist decades of research on importance of D, which is a hormone.
Public health planners lack the incentives and information to search out new research relevant to federal guidelines. Federal agencies and foundations fund research in line with established but often incomplete or misguided past research. The low-fat food pyramid models long promoted by US, UK, and EU authorities are one example (now the “food plate” in US and still misguided according to researchers).