Vitamin D Supplements for Prevention of Covid-19 [pdf] | Hacker News Reader

Vitamin D Supplements for Prevention of Covid-19 [pdf]

medrxiv.org

15 pointslixtra8 comments

If these were UK participants with median age 60, and the last follow-up was june 2021, more than half would have been vaccinated during the period.

Also, the probability of hospital visits (not ventilation) for covid in this group was 1.5%.

CONCLUSIONS:

Among adults with a high baseline prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency, implementation of a test-and-treat approach to vitamin D replacement did not reduce risk of all-cause ARI or Covid-19.

As well as vaccines, vitamin D/immune system does not prevent infections, it just makes sure that the consequences are better e.g., vaccines make the risk of death several times less.

Generally when you hear Vitamin D the conclusion is "Move on, nothing more to see here folks".

Vitamin D is associated with good things (like your team won the Superbowl) but taking Vitamin D doesn't seem to lead to good outcomes any more than taking Vitamin D will make your team win the Superbowl.

Previous studies showed positive effects for ARI.

https://www.bmj.com/content/356/bmj.i6583

From the beginning of the pandemic, it was 50/50, and it still is. Half of the studies say it has an effect, the other half says it isn't significant.

The only thing that seems pretty much settled is that when it comes to covid (and many other things) vitamin D is useless for those who are not deficient, and taking massive doses is likely to do more harm than good. The uncertainty is whether reasonable supplementation to compensate for what is a common deficit during winter is effective or not against covid, both in term or infection and severity.

I wonder if that's because vitamin d is a downstream effect of physical activity, which in sunlight increases vitamin d levels, and which strengthens bodies when they're fit enough to be strengthened?

Having enough vitamin D seems like it'd be correlated with getting enough outside-time in the sun, which also likely means the person moves their body, maybe eats real food, maybe gets some decent sleep, and maybe has stretches of good mental health, all of which at least seem to help people have higher resistance to infection.

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