The Importance of Taking Vitamin-D Supplements During Covid Lockdowns!

More and more people are understanding the importance of vitamin D, especially within the ongoing circumstances of the pandemic. There have been various tests and researches in favor of the same. In this article, we take a detailed look at how vitamin D supplements serve as an important factor in the ongoing COVID lockdown.

Vitamin D & COVID-19 Lockdown: What Do Experts Say?

In view of the lockdown, doctors suggest that many people are experiencing a vitamin D deficiency - with its primary source being sunlight. Since we are no longer able to spend time outdoors, our skin is not able to make vitamin D for us. As per the NHS, people should take at least 10 micrograms of vitamin D everyday if they are not exposed to the sun. As per the Public Health England, one should take vitamin D supplements if,

1.    You are spending more time indoors than outdoors
2.    You live in a care facility
3.    You wear clothes that cover most part of your skin when outdoors
4.    You are dark skinned (as this makes it difficult for the skin to absorb sunlight to make vitamin D)

What Does Vitamin D Do?

Vitamin D serves a very important function in our body, as it strengthens the health of our bones, teeth, and muscles. If you suffer from a vitamin D deficiency, there is a high chance, you may experience bone weakness or deformity, such as conditions like rickets in children and osteomalacia or osteoporosis in adults.

Vitamin D also helps in boosting the immune system and thereby in fighting infections. Research suggests that it can help with the common cold and flu symptoms. More research on the efficacy of vitamin D for colds is still underway.

How Does Vitamin D Help With Coronavirus?

As per research, there is no direct link between the prevention or treatment of coronavirus and vitamin D. However, experts believe that supplementation of vitamin D during the lockdown can help make sure that you remain nutritionally fit, in general and if at all it comes to fight coronavirus.

Research suggests that a vitamin D deficient person may experience more severe symptoms of coronavirus than those who are not deficient in this vitamin. Vitamin D’s antiinflammatory effects boost the body’s immune response to the virus. This may prove to be helpful in very critical patients of COVID-19, where there is severe lung damage. More research on this is still required.

Vitamin D Supplements

Vitamin D supplements are never a bad idea, whether there is a pandemic or not, as most of us are usually deficient in this vitamin. It is a possibility that some people are more deficient in this vitamin than others - depending on their age, sun exposure, obesity or other medical conditions. As per research, darker skinned people are at a higher risk of a vitamin D deficiency as compared to lighter skinned people.

As per medical data, the upper safe limit of vitamin D per day stands at around 4000 international units (IU), anything above it is considered to be unsafe for consumption. Larger doses of vitamin D or any other supplement can be potentially toxic and therefore should only be taken under medical supervision.

If you are looking for a safe vitamin D supplement, then look nowhere and head straight to the Wellbeing Nutrition website for their Vitamin D3 Melts. Each Natural Vitamin D3 melts® strip has been created to counter the effects of Vitamin D3 deficiencies in your body.

References

●    Vitamin D - Vitamins and minerals (https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/)
●    Laird E, Ward M, McSorley E, Strain JJ, Wallace J. Vitamin D and bone health: potential mechanisms. Nutrients. 2010;2(7):693-724. doi:10.3390/nu2070693 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3257679/)
●    Rees JR, Hendricks K, Barry EL, et al. Vitamin D3 supplementation and upper respiratory tract infections in a randomized, controlled trial. Clin Infect Dis. 2013;57(10):1384-1392. doi:10.1093/cid/cit549 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3805175/)
●    Weir EK, Thenappan T, Bhargava M, Chen Y. Does vitamin D deficiency increase the severity of COVID-19?. Clin Med (Lond). 2020;20(4):e107-e108. doi:10.7861/clinmed.2020-0301 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7385774/)
●    Vitamin D and COVID-19: why the controversy? (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(21)00003-6/fulltext)
●    Vitamin D - COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines (https://www.covid19treatmentguidelines.nih.gov/therapies/supplements/vitamin-d/)