No, pill sun is not a real shield against Covid. But the hope of an easy and inexpensive preventive treatment against COVID-19 thanks to vitamin D seemed plausible. Several studies have shown that people who develop severe covid often lack this protein, which is known to play a role in innate immunity against respiratory viruses. Even better, vitamin D has been shown to promote the expression of peptides that bind to the spike protein of the coronavirus and prevent it from binding to the ACE-2 receptor in our cells. British researchers designed a phase 3 clinical trial to test this hypothesis (called CORONAVIT), the findings of which were published online in 2022. March 23 pre-printing (not yet reviewed). Unfortunately, their results show that vitamin D supplements have no effect on the likelihood of contracting Covid.
Supplements increase vitamin D levels
In this randomized trial, researchers wanted to determine whether correcting vitamin D deficiency with dietary supplements could protect against the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus. A total of 6,200 participants aged 16 years and older (median age 60.2 years) were divided into three groups: a control group, a group that received low-dose vitamin D treatment (800 IU per day), and one that received a higher dose is given. dose of this vitamin (3,200 IU per day; IU or IU in French for “international unit” used to measure the amount of a pharmacological product). The participants received food supplements at home for six months, starting in 2020. December. until 2021 in June
No, pill sun is not a real shield against Covid. But the hope of an easy and inexpensive preventive treatment against COVID-19 thanks to vitamin D seemed plausible. Several studies have shown that people who develop severe covid often lack this protein, which is known to play a role in innate immunity against respiratory viruses. Even better, vitamin D has been shown to promote the expression of peptides that bind to the spike protein of the coronavirus and prevent it from binding to the ACE-2 receptor in our cells. British researchers designed a phase 3 clinical trial to test this hypothesis (called CORONAVIT), the findings of which were published online in 2022. March 23 pre-printing (not yet reviewed). Unfortunately, their results show that vitamin D supplements have no effect on the likelihood of contracting Covid.
Supplements increase vitamin D levels
In this randomized trial, researchers wanted to determine whether correcting vitamin D deficiency with dietary supplements could protect against the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus. A total of 6,200 participants aged 16 years and older (median age 60.2 years) were divided into three groups: a control group, a group that received low-dose vitamin D treatment (800 IU per day), and one that received a higher dose is given. dose of this vitamin (3,200 IU per day; IU or IU in French for “international unit” used to measure the amount of a pharmacological product). The participants received food supplements at home for six months, starting in 2020. December. until 2021 in June
At the start of the study, the researchers tested vitamin D levels in about half of the participants, almost all of whom (97.4%) were deficient (blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin-D3 or 25-OH-D below 75 nmol/L). Nearly 3,000 participants received one of the treatments, which required them to perform at least six times per week (which 90% of these participants would have adhered to). These supplements resulted in significantly higher vitamin D levels at the end of the study in the treated participants than in those not treated: about 102.9 nmol/l for those on the higher dose and 79.4 nmol/l for those on the lower dose. of vitamin D, and 66.6 for those without treatment.
However, they do not protect against the coronavirus
Despite this increase in vitamin D levels, there was no difference in the chance of contracting the coronavirus or developing a severe form of Covid. In all groups, about 5% of participants became infected (5% in the high dose, 5.7% in the lower dose, and 4.6% untreated). Among these infected participants, the rate of hospitalization due to Covid-19 and the number of intensive care patients were similar in the three groups. Conclusion: Vitamin D supplements are not beneficial for protection against COVID.
As the study was carried out in the same semester when the most vulnerable people in the UK were vaccinated (January-June 2021), the vaccination rate varied significantly between the start (when 2.5% of participants were vaccinated) and the end (the rate rises up to 89.1 percent). Therefore, it is possible that in one of the groups this vaccination rate increased more rapidly and those who were not treated with vitamin D were protected. The researchers explored this possibility after a more detailed analysis showed that vaccinations had nothing to do with it: vaccination or no vaccination, vitamin D supplements had no effect.
Some participants in the control group disclosed that they were taking vitamin D supplements during the study. To check that they didn’t negate the results, the researchers ran a third analysis, this time controlling only for those who didn’t take the supplements at all. Again, there was no significant difference between groups. The vitamin D is useful for many reasons, but not to protect us from Ccovid.