Almost all COVID-19 patients that are vitamin D deficient pass away. This information is told in a scary study that adds to the growing evidence that the so-called “sunshine” nutrient could save someone’s life if faced with the novel coronavirus. Scientists from Indonesia have looked at the hospital records of 780 people, all of them testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that is behind COVID-19.
In the results of the study, scientists realized that 99.89 per cent of patients with coronavirus have been defined as vitamin D deficient, so they have less than 20 ng/ml of the sunshine nutrient. However, this astounding death rate fell to a meager 4.1 per cent for patients that had received enough nutrients.
The study, however, is not definitive. For example, the patients with high vitamin D levels are younger and healthier. Currently, health chiefs are urgently reviewing the use of vitamin D as treatment for coronavirus. Several studies have already suggested that COVID-19 patients have higher chances to die if they have a deficiency.
The Anglia Ruskin University performed an investigation in Cambridge. The interesting study found that European countries with significantly lower average vitamin D levels have had many more pandemic casualties than the rest. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is currently conducting a quick proof review of the matter. As early as next week, we can expect some official data on the effect of vitamin D on COVID-19.
Unlike most research performed on COVID-19, this study had no connection whatsoever to experts affiliated with a certain university. Instead, all of the five researchers, led by Raharusna Prabowo, were written down as independent and there were not scientific backgrounds provided. What’s more, the research, published in April, has not yet been peer reviewed by teams of scientists, so flaws in the system could yet be uncovered.
