“If you are deficient in vitamin D, that does have an impact on your susceptibility to infection. So I would not mind recommending, and I do it myself taking vitamin D supplements,”
Dr Anthony Fauci, 79 Director of NIAID (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) said during an Instagram Live on September 10 2020
Vitamin D is probably the most important Fat-Soluble Vitamin. Many of us know vitamin D as important to help regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body to maintain healthy bones, teeth and muscles. Vitamin D functions also as a hormone and an immune modulator – very important for good health.
In urbanized populations, many are staying/working in-doors, and with little or no exposure to the sun and UV light which is required for our skin to make Vitamin D - so important for our health. In COVID19 situation, shutdown and work-from-home aggravate the situation even further.
Hence, we need help with supplementation. Recent studies have shown that our body need much more vitamin D than previously thought.
US NIH recommends 600iu for adults and 800iu for those above 70.
With COVID19, there has been so much attention on vitamin D – and its importance for good health and immunity. The key is to achieve optimum blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration >75 nmol/L. You can do a blood test to check if you are deficient – recommended if you are above 60.
New clinical studies and doctors treating COVID19 patients are now recommending higher dosage to help maintain good health and immunity. Studies have shown that between 1,120–1,680 IU per day is required to maintain health levels of Vitamin D. For those deficient, 5,000iu per day is recommended.
One thing to note is that it is not easy to reverse vitamin D deficiency. It can take up to 6 to 8 months to reverse deficiency even taking mega dose of Vitamin D supplement. Much higher dose up to 50,000iu has been used on extended period of time to help those in need to reverse their serious vitamin D deficiency.
So, start taking Vitamin D today. Consult your doctor or pharmacist.