Skip to main content

Vitamin D and COVID-19

Vitamin D can be introduced into the body in 2 ways. Either from foods such as egg yolks and milk or UV rays from the sun. It is a fat soluble hormone and is also known as cholecalciferol (CCF). Our skin stores a fat molecule called 7-dehydro-cholesterol converted into CCF through up rays from light.

CCF is then converted into its active form known as 1,25-DOH-CCF (1,25-dehydroxyl cholecalciferol). This increases calcium absorption in blood and also increases the absorption of macrophages to sites where there are high concentrations of virus.



Active CCF enters the immune cells such as macrophages and activates the DNA to make specific proteins which help to fend off viruses. One of which is called beta defensins. They punches holes in cell membrane in virus cells/ viral envelopes, causing the virus cells to die out.


There is a correlation between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 mortality rate. In liver failure or chronic kidney disease (renal failure) there is decreased vitamin D activation in the body. Vitamin D will not be converted into its active form to produce proteins (beta-defensins and cathelicidins) to carry out phagocytosis and chemotaxis. 


In other cases, obesity can also have a similar effect in its own ways. The inactive form of vitamin D (CCF) is fat soluble. Consequently, vitamin D is stored in the fat cells and is not being activated by enzymes to circulate into the bloodstream. Hence, this also decreases the body’s ability to fend off viruses such as COVID-19. 


In elderly individuals, those typically in their 70s-80s, also have lower vitamin D production. They have found to have a higher mortality rate to COVID-19. Although logically sound, further research is required to conclude any correlation.


A low vitamin D level is approximately less than 30 nanomoles per litre. The recommended level the average human should have is 75 nanomoles per litre of vitamin D.


A patient can either opt for bolus doses (large) or (sufficient) prophylaxis doses, with the latter shown to be more effective. The daily recommended amount of vitamin D for an average adult is approximately 2000-4000 international units. For pediatric patients, the number is 1000. 


For obese patients (BMI>30), they require 3 times the daily recommended intake because vitamin D is a fat soluble hormone, and most of it will be stored in the fat cells of these individuals.


If taken in excess, one may contract vitamin D toxicity. However, it is extremely rare for a patient to suffer from vitamin D toxicity and only primarily occurs in patients suffering from sarcoidosis, a condition which raises the levels of vitamin D in the blood. Patients who do not suffer from sarcoidosis will not contract vitamin D toxicity even if they take 4-5 times the daily recommended intake.



https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7468980/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2521-4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT1CaTv5-e4

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6532760/


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive nervous system disorder that affects one’s movements. Parkinson’s disease signs and symptoms are different for every individual and may go unnoticed in the early stage. Symptoms typically start on one side of the body and remain worse on that side even after the symptoms begin appearing in both sides of the body.  Generally, the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include tremors, slowed movement, rigid muscles, impaired posture and balance, loss of automatic movements such as blinking or swinging of arms when walking, and speech and writing changes.  Parkinson’s disease occurs when neurons in an area of the brain that controls movement becomes impaired or dies. These neurons normally produce dopamine. As more neurons become impaired or die, the amount of dopamine produced in the body is reduced significantly, causing the movement problems associated with Parkinson’s disease.  People with Parkinson’s also lose the nerve endings that produc...
Post a Comment
Read more

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a bone disease that occurs when there is too little bone or when the body produces too little bone. The word is derived from the terms ‘osteo’ which means ‘bone’ and ‘porosis’ which means porous. Compared to normal bones, the spongy bone has more holes or pores, weakening the structural integrity of the skeleton. Bone cels called Osteoclasts, break down bone tissue and Osteoblasts build bone using minerals such as Calcium and Phosphate. Hormones such as oestrogen and testosterone help to keep the number and activity of Osteoblast high.  There are 2 types of osteoporosis. Primary Osteoporosis is due to old age when Osteoclasts remove more bone than Osteoblast make. This usually happens after the age of 30 when adults reach their ‘peak bone mass’. Secondary Osteoporosis affects both children and adults and mainly stem from cancer, hormonal imbalances or certain use of medications. In severe cases, bones may become too weak to support the rest of the human body and is ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tinnitus

Tinnitus is a hearing condition often described as ringing in the ears. Tinnitus can also cause other types of noise in your ears such as: buzzing, roaring, clicking, hissing and humming.  The pitch heard from tinnitus can vary from a high squeal to a low roar, this can affect the patient’s ability to detect tinnitus from external sounds Tinnitus can develop gradually over time or occur suddenly. It is often associated with: age-related hearing loss, inner ear damage, earwax build-up and middle ear infection However, one in every three people with tinnitus doesn't have any obvious problem with their ears or hearing. Sources: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/tinnitus/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20350162 http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/understanding-tinnitus-basics
Post a Comment
Read more