Maintaining good levels of vitamin D helps the body fight Covid-19, according to a study carried out by researchers at Bar-Ilan University, in Israel, based on a sample of 782 positive and 7,025 negative coronavirus patients. Research indicates that a low level of vitamin D in the blood is a risk factor for infection and hospitalization for this disease.
“Low levels of vitamin D result in a greater susceptibility to infections, since it is essential for the proper functioning of the immune system, so various studies have linked it not only to Covid-19, but also to numerous diseases, from cardiovascular risk to cancer,” explains nutritionist Pilar Esquer, professor at the Gasma school in Castellón. In this sense, a recent study carried out by scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in Boston, indicates that maintaining adequate levels of vitamin D is associated with an overall reduction of 17% in the risk of suffering from advanced cancer, a figure that increases up to 38% in people with a normal body mass index.
Other research, however, questions the relationship between the good prognosis of Covid-19 and vitamin D. This is the case of that carried out by scientists from several countries, led by the University of Surrey, in the United Kingdom, published in the BMJ, Nutrition, Prevention and Health. The research indicates that there is no conclusive evidence to show that this vitamin can be beneficial in treating coronavirus, and warns of the risks of supplementation, since an excess of vitamin D in the blood could lead, among other things, to an increase in calcium levels, something that could be particularly harmful. “Vitamin D is fat-soluble, meaning it dissolves in fat and is not eliminated. Water-soluble vitamins, for their part, are eliminated through urine. This means that, when stored in the body, fat-soluble vitamins can be harmful if consumed in excess,” warns Esquer.
“Vitamin D is generated 80% through the sun’s rays, so the best way to maintain a correct level is to get in the sun daily,” explains the nutritionist, who recommends doing it during the hours of least exposure, avoiding the period that goes from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Although about 15 minutes a day is enough, the truth is that the contemporary lifestyle does not allow us, on many occasions, to find that time to expose ourselves to the sun and the deficiency of this vitamin is widespread. In fact, vitamin D levels in Spain are, despite its favorable climate, similar to those of other European countries. According to a review published in the Journal of Osteoporosis and Mineral Metabolism, 50% of Spaniards between 18 and 60 years of age have a deficiency, a figure that reaches 87% in those over 60 years of age.
“Vitamin D intervenes in multiple functions of the body, in addition to improving the quality of the skin, so it is essential to ensure good levels. Many people who complain of digestive discomfort, from gas to diarrhea or heaviness, often have a deficiency of this vitamin,” explains Medicadiet nutritionist, Álvaro Sánchez, who insists that although this “is obtained primarily through synthesis of the sun’s rays, we can also achieve it through food, although to a lesser extent.” To do this, these are some foods that should be introduced into the diet.
