people ask all the time “what can i do to reduce covid risk?” well, “be sure you get enough vitamin D” is a great start.
it’s absent from diet and lifestyle.
we don’t get enough dairy and eggs. mushrooms work too.
we’re not eating oily fish (though the scandinavians, all of whom barely showed any excess mortailty over the last 2 years sure do.)
we don’t get enough sun and when we do, we block it with sunscreen. (your body makes vitamin D out of cholesterol when exposed to sunlight)
around 2/3’s of americans wind up vitamin D deficient by end of winter.
and THIS study (STORY) shows that having enough D dropped the risk of death in patients hospitalized with covid by 86%.
here’s the data:
25.6% of those who were deficient (<20ng/ml) died. 3.5% of those over 20 did.
0 people over 30 ng/ml progressed to critical covid.
(note that this is all WITH, not FROM or FOR covid)
there are a few cofounds on age and on comorbidities (as this is a retrospective and certainly not an RCT) but not enough to look to explain this kind of variance.
note that this is a FAR greater level of efficacy than that shown in societal data from vaccines.
it’s also almost certainly understated, possible by an order of magnitude. why? because this looked only at the hospitalized. high levels of vitamin D also likely keep you out of the hospital in the first place.
if it works about as well on hospital risk as death risk, this compounds. (i’m guessing here as an example and have no actual data)
86% less hospital and 86% less death if hospital = 98% overall risk reduction. it could well not be that high. maybe it’s 95%. maybe it’s 80% if you adjust for risk factors etc. still, that’s a HUGE number.
it’s WAY better than a vaccine.
and vitamin D is cheap, safe, easy to get, and has lots of other benefits.
maybe we should be mandating vitamin D passports. (yeah, right. there’s no money in it, so don’t hold your breath.)
this has been known since the middle of last year. but, as ever, it’s all “get vaxxed” and never “get healthy.” because that’s what pharma pushes and what americans are trained to clap like seals for. (at least the seals get oily fish when they do)
so, look, this is really simple:
go get tested.
your doctor can test your vit D levels. it’s easy and inexpensive.
if you are low, FIX IT. get some supplements. get some sun. eat better.
there are basically no downsides and lots of likely benefit.
everyone should do this.
or if you must, supplements.
but do it.
it’s probably the single most effective thing you can do.
(a little exercise wouldn’t kill ya either…)
Personal vitamin D saga:
In my early 20s, after moving to the Northwest from Arizona, I was having strange neurological problems. Fatigue, dizziness, vertigo. Dr did a full labs and my Vit D level was "severely deficient". I don't recall the exact number but I believe it was below 10 ng/ml.
I was prescribed 100,000 IUs of Vit D a day for a month, got my levels back up to a better (but not great, 20-30 ng/ml) range. Fast forward 5 years and after being sick as a dog every winter with colds & sinus infections I decided I should get tested again. 23 ng/ml. I took 10,000 IUs a day for 6 months, tested again, 26 ng/ml. Not good.
I did a bunch of research and settled upon an expensive UVB vitamin D light. Did it for 5 mins a day, almost every day, from a period of time between November and February, tested again, 59!!! ng/ml.
Now I rarely get sick, and when I do, I feel fine, I just get some congestion, ect.
I also am not vaxxed and haven't gotten covid yet....
Now it's part of my daily routine. Drink my morning coffee after a shower while using my light.
Next door neighbor is a cardiologist who treats Covid patients. Two things he’s told me: (1) if you walked through the ICU, you would not be surprised by anyone you saw; and (2) take vitamin D.