Vitamin D linked to low virus death rate — Study 維生素D與低病毒死亡率有關-研究

News Release 7-May-2020

New COVID-19 research finds relationship in data from 20 European countries

Anglia Ruskin University

A new study has found an association between low average levels of vitamin D and high numbers of COVID-19 cases and mortality rates across 20 European countries.

一項新的研究發現，在20個歐洲國家中，維生素D的平均水平較低，COVID-19病例數較高與死亡率之間存在關聯。

The research, led by Dr Lee Smith of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and Mr Petre Cristian Ilie, lead urologist of Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust, is published in the journal Aging Clinical and Experimental Research.

Previous observational studies have reported an association between low levels of vitamin D and susceptibility to acute respiratory tract infections. Vitamin D modulates the response of white blood cells, preventing them from releasing too many inflammatory cytokines. The COVID-19 virus is known to cause an excess of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Italy and Spain have both experienced high COVID-19 mortality rates, and the new study shows that both countries have lower average vitamin D levels than most northern European countries. This is partly because people in southern Europe, particularly the elderly, avoid strong sun, while skin pigmentation also reduces natural vitamin D synthesis.

The highest average levels of vitamin D are found in northern Europe, due to the consumption of cod liver oil and vitamin D supplements, and possibly less sun avoidance. Scandinavian nations are among the countries with the lowest number of COVID-19 cases and mortality rates per head of population in Europe.

Dr Lee Smith, Reader in Physical Activity and Public Health at Anglia Ruskin University, said: “We found a significant crude relationship between average vitamin D levels and the number COVID-19 cases, and particularly COVID-19 mortality rates, per head of population across the 20 European countries.

“Vitamin D has been shown to protect against acute respiratory infections, and older adults, the group most deficient in vitamin D, are also the ones most seriously affected by COVID-19.

“A previous study found that 75% of people in institutions, such as hospitals and care homes, were severely deficient in vitamin D. We suggest it would be advisable to perform dedicated studies looking at vitamin D levels in COVID-19 patients with different degrees of disease severity.”

Mr Petre Cristian Ilie, lead urologist of Queen Elizabeth Hospital King’s Lynn NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Our study does have limitations however, not least because the number of cases in each country is affected by the number of tests performed, as well as the different measures taken by each country to prevent the spread of infection. Finally, and importantly, one must remember correlation does not necessarily mean causation.”

###

In another study, Frank Lau et al. have found that the heightened severity of covid 19 is associated with vitamin D deficiency. This indicates that getting exposed to sunlight or taking vitamin D 3 supplements can help reduce the risk of death when a person acquires the pandemic virus – SARS-CoV-2 . The data used for the study came from a single tertiary care academic medical center.

In yet another study conducted by researchers at Northwestern University and other organizations found a similar link between vitamin D insufficiency and elevated risk of death which largely results from cytokine storm triggered by the SARS-CoV-2 viral infection. Vitamin D has been known for its role in innate immunity, but the researchers also claim that the vitamin can also prevent the overreaction to the viral infection – cytokine storm. The data studied came from multiple nations including China, France, Germany, South Korea, Italy, Iran, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States

Another study conducted in West Flanders, Belgium has found the same conclusion that people with low levels of serum vitamin D were more likely to suffer severe outcomes from Sars coV 2 viral infection.

University of Chicago has also conducted a similar study and found the same conclusion.

More studies on the link between covid 19 severity and vitamin D deficiency can be found here.