# Has anyone looked into the Vitamin D claims? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [May 15, 2020, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882 "2020-05-15T20:38:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882/1 "2020-05-15T20:38:54Z")
The title is pretty much the thread. Should I run out and buy a bunch of vitamins?😃 Or are some slightly overzealous researchers misapplying some interesting research too the current issues. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882/2 "2020-05-15T20:48:20Z")
It might help if you told us what claims you’re referring to. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882/3 "2020-05-15T20:48:58Z")
My educated guess is that there will turn out to be a link, but that it will be a correlational rather than causative link. In other words people with low vitamin D levels tend to be less healthy as a group than those with normal vitamin D levels. The poorer overall health of those with lower vitamin D levels is the likely reason they tend to do worse with Covid-19, rather than the specific vitamin deficit. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882/4 "2020-05-15T20:57:43Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > It might help if you told us what claims you’re referring to. Sorry, I’m usually so behind in these things that i assume everyone else knows first. [Article](https://scitechdaily.com/vitamin-d-determines-severity-in-covid-19-researchers-urge-government-to-change-advice/) A lot of regurgitated articles from all around the web, say pretty much the same. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882/5 "2020-05-15T21:21:31Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > Sorry, I’m usually so behind in these things that i assume everyone else knows first. > > [Article](https://scitechdaily.com/vitamin-d-determines-severity-in-covid-19-researchers-urge-government-to-change-advice/) > > A lot of regurgitated articles from all around the web, say pretty much the same. Nm ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882/6 "2020-05-15T21:24:17Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > Sorry, I’m usually so behind in these things that i assume everyone else knows first. I almost exclusively use the ‘new posts’ button and I tend not to look at what forum a thread is in when I’m reading it or I probably would have been able to put this together. ---
**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882/7 "2020-05-15T21:31:16Z")
Another big thing here is that unhealthy people who are bedridden tend not to go out in the sun much so they would most likely have low Vitamin D levels. I don’t think they have proved that vitamin D fight the virus. Just that those who are vulnerable tend to have lower levels. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2020, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882/8 "2020-05-15T21:53:10Z")
It seems like a huge study with a huge sample size but in reality, the sample size is countries, not the people within. It’s hard without access to the journal. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2020, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882/9 "2020-05-16T00:15:04Z")
There is significant evidence that Vitamin D somatic levels or supplementation inversely correlates with respiratory infections. [”Vitamin D, immune System & SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Mechanism of Vit D Immune Regulation & Overview”](https://youtu.be/zd_oGkGJr04). The video is a review of a meta-analysis on Vitamin D effects and acute respiratory tract infections as well as the mechanisms by which Vitamin D regulates the immune system. Note that a infrequent large dosing (referred to in the video as “bolus dosing”, or what a physician would do to treat an acute imbalance) is not protective; it is necessary to supplement regularly (preferably daily) to maintain immune response. Most people who live in temperate or subarctic climes have some level of Vitamin D deficiency (your body produces it through solar exposure, and while there are dietary sources of D3 it is hard to get enough through diet to make up a deficiency). It is also the case that people with darker skin will produce Vitamin D more slowly, which could at least partially account for the racial discrepancies in COVID-19 mortalities although the effects of lifestyle, diet, and stress should not be neglected. Any specific protections against SARS-CoV-2 are correlative at this point; however, as noted most people already have a Vitamin D deficiency, and Vitamin D has demonstrated benefits with regards to other diseases including various cancers, so it is one of the few vitamins for which there is a strong case for regular supplementation anyway. Or, you can go out and get some good sunlight exposure, which is also good for you. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2020, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882/10 "2020-05-16T15:24:30Z")
I’m not a doctor so I make no claims. Vitamin D has an [anticoagulant property](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4069050/) that might be useful if covid19 is proven to generate blood clots. Many people are deficient in this vitamin so it’s probably not going to hurt to take it as a supplement. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2020, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882/11 "2020-05-16T15:56:03Z")
Nurse: Doctor this patient is becoming ‘clotty’ should we increase their level of prescription injected ‘blood thinner’? Doctor: Don’t be silly, this patient just needs more vitamin D! CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2020, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882/12 "2020-05-16T16:30:53Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > Nurse: Doctor this patient is becoming ‘clotty’ should we increase their level of prescription injected ‘blood thinner’? > Doctor: Don’t be silly, this patient just needs more vitamin D! > > CMC fnord! Kind of an odd response to a detailed article written by doctors. Are you suggesting that maintaining a proper level of vitamins is useless in fighting disease? How do you think the vast number of people who survive diseases like covid-19? Magic? I posted a cite that relates to the topic and I started out by saying I make no medical claims. You on the other hand appear to know something we don’t so the floor is yours to explain why maintaining the proper levels of a vitamin known for helping one of the symptoms of covid-19 is a bad thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2020, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882/13 "2020-05-16T19:01:12Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > It is also the case that people with darker skin will produce Vitamin D more slowly, which could at least partially account for the racial discrepancies in COVID-19 mortalities although the effects of lifestyle, diet, and stress should not be neglected. It might also account for some part of the risk associated with being older. Our skin becomes less effective at producing vitamin D as we age. Our kidneys also become less effective at processing the vitamin into the active form our body needs. Throw in that older people may be less likely to be outside and exposed to sunlight because of their other underlying conditions and there is a triple whammy. My mid 80s parents both take above what is normally considered the safe upper limit for a healthy adult on the advice of their doctor. It would also be interesting to see whether there is higher death rate among vegans than the rest of the population. Being vitamin D deficient is one of the risks of a strict vegan diet. The dietary sources of the more readily used D3 are mostly things vegans won’t eat. If vitamin D matters, veganism could present a risk factor. Fortunately, it would be one that is relatively easy to mitigate. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2020, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882/14 "2020-05-16T20:12:49Z")
In other fora we’ve had long discussions on vitamin D as the great hope of the vitamin supplement industry. Short version is that the benefits of supplements rarely have lived up to the hype and the hopes. Most of its promises as a routine supplement have not planned out but some a bit. Low D is often the result of inflammation more than the cause but what with less time outside than ever for many taking a modest supplemental amount is reasonable. I don’t and won’t be starting myself but I get outside some. Don’t think though that more is always better. Up to a few thousand IU a day is fine, might lower risk some, it’s possible, but some do tens of thousands every day … I have seen overdose from vitamin D causing kidney damage. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2020, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882/15 "2020-05-16T21:23:07Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > It would also be interesting to see whether there is higher death rate among vegans than the rest of the population. Being vitamin D deficient is one of the risks of a strict vegan diet. The dietary sources of the more readily used D3 are mostly things vegans won’t eat. If vitamin D matters, veganism could present a risk factor. Fortunately, it would be one that is relatively easy to mitigate. Although there are dietary sources of D3 (not really D2 unless you eat _a lot_ of sun-dried crimini mushrooms and lichen) and many processed foods are enriched with D3 specifically to prevent the extreme deficiency that results in rickets, most Vitamin D is produced by exposure to sunlight. > [@DSeid](#): > > Don’t think though that more is always better. Up to a few thousand IU a day is fine, might lower risk some, it’s possible, but some do tens of thousands every day … I have seen overdose from vitamin D causing kidney damage. If you supplement with Vitamin D, it is definitely advisable to stay well within the maximum recommended dosage (sources vary between 2000 IBU and 4000 IBU per day, with the dose causing immediate toxicity ~40,000 IBU) and not to expect that it is going to provide some specific prophylactic effect that lets you ignore all other isolation and physical distancing guidance, but as noted above most people are somewhat deficient in it anyway, and it is one of the few necessary micronutrients that it is actually difficult to get enough of through dietary sources alone. Of course, getting a daily ‘dose’ of sunlight and fresh air, whenever possible, is also very beneficial in numerous ways and generally costs nothing, but you’re going to have to expose a lot of skin or spend a fair amount of time outside to produce the same amount a person in a pre-industrial society would generate as a matter of course. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2020, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882/16 "2020-05-16T21:44:58Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > My educated guess is that there will turn out to be a link, but that it will be a correlational rather than causative link. In other words people with low vitamin D levels tend to be less healthy as a group than those with normal vitamin D levels. The poorer overall health of those with lower vitamin D levels is the likely reason they tend to do worse with Covid-19, rather than the specific vitamin deficit. > [@HoneyBadgerDC](#): > > Another big thing here is that unhealthy people who are bedridden tend not to go out in the sun much so they would most likely have low Vitamin D levels. I don’t think they have proved that vitamin D fight the virus. Just that those who are vulnerable tend to have lower levels. I think the correlation with poorer health will turn out to be the case. One of the regular blood tests you get if you’re type 2 diabetic is vitamin D levels. If you’re low, you get told how much to take daily. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882/17 "2020-05-17T00:27:09Z")
People with breast cancer tend to have lower D levels as well. Here in the land o’ rain, at least, many oncologists recommend supplements while acknowledging that correlation != causality. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882/18 "2020-05-17T01:38:06Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > Although there are dietary sources of D3 (not really D2 unless you eat _a lot_ of sun-dried crimini mushrooms and lichen) and many processed foods are enriched with D3 specifically to prevent the extreme deficiency that results in rickets, most Vitamin D is produced by exposure to sunlight. Yes, but in good chunks of the country daily doses of sunlight are not a valid option. Frostbite prevention tends to take priority over the health benefits of exposed skin for decent chunks of the year. Vitamin D, like B12, deficiency is one of the areas frequently mentioned as bearing special attention for vegans. They simply have less room for error before deficiency kicks in because they lack that dietary baseline. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882/19 "2020-05-17T03:54:33Z")
I did read this the other day: [Review of Mushrooms as a Potential Source of Dietary Vitamin D](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6213178/). > [@](#): > > When fresh button mushrooms are deliberately exposed to midday sunlight for 15–120 min, they generate significant amounts of vitamin D2, usually in excess of 10 μg/100 g FW [17,35,39,40], which approaches the daily requirement of vitamin D recommended in many countries… Where > [@](#): > > 100 g is considered to be a realistic serve of mushrooms (approximately three button mushrooms)… I’m not sure I’ve ever eaten only 3 button mushrooms, but there you go. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2020, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882/20 "2020-05-17T04:04:07Z")
> [@susan](#): > > People with breast cancer tend to have lower D levels as well. Here in the land o’ rain, at least, many oncologists recommend supplements while acknowledging that correlation != causality. In other words, it certainly can’t hurt and it’s inexpensive so why not? I had a blood test a couple of years ago and the result was low Vitamin D. I started taking 1000 units/day. I upped that to 2000 units/day when I read about the possible help with COVID. Maybe I should take even more. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-anyone-looked-into-the-vitamin-d-claims/853882.md?page=2)