HEALTH TIPS

Healthy Lifestyle Tips

• To date, there remains a significant lack of information available on what health measures might elicit protective effects against COVID-19. Supplementation with vitamin D has recently been studied for its potential to reduce the risk of infection by COVID-19.

  Vitamin D is an endogenously produced steroid hormone that can be absorbed from exposure to sunlight, during which the protein 7-dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC) in our skin interacts with ultraviolet B (UVB) rays and subsequently gets converted into the active form of vitamin D, which is vitamin D3.

  Vitamin D can also get absorbed through various dietary sources including oily fish like salmon and sardines to red meats and egg yolks.

  Once vitamin D enters the bloodstream, it can be used to assist the body in absorbing calcium, which helps to strengthen bones, allow for muscle movement, provide nerves with the ability to transmit messages between the brain and other parts of the body, as well as work with the immune system to fight off invading pathogens like bacteria and viruses.

  Vitamin D and Covid

  Vitamin D plays a modulatory role in the immune system, as it increases the secretion of numerous antiviral peptides to support innate immunity and can also induce autophagy in response to viral substances. 

  Additionally, vitamin D has been shown to reduce the risk of microbial infections and mortality through various pathways. When an individual acquires the common cold, for example, vitamin D can act as a physical barrier against the infection, or act through cellular natural and/or adaptive immunity mechanisms to reduce the risk of infection. 
  

  Between the years 2007 and 2020, several meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials supported the hypothesis that vitamin D exerts protective effects against acute respiratory infections and that a deficiency of vitamin D within the serum can in fact increase the risk of community-acquired pneumonia.