The Ultimate Guide to Vitamin D & COVID-19: Supplements, Science & Sun
While we’ve become overwhelmed daily with all the problems of COVID-19, we’d love to highlight some SOLUTIONS we can use to confront this virus and the fear associated with it. While we’re on the cusp of getting the first round of vaccines out, there are a couple of simple and practical steps we can take to boost our immune systems- today!
A couple of small, promising studies recently indicated that there might be a significant link between Vitamin D deficiency and the severity of complications from COVID (and perhaps contracting it!). This study shows 80% of 216 COVID-19 patients in Spain were Vitamin D deficient. Another study demonstrates more severe symptoms and a higher risk of death associated with COVID-19 in Vitamin D deficient patients. This third study of 489 patients shows that those with insufficient Vitamin D levels were 1.77 times greater to test positive for COVID-19. Stay tuned until the end of this article to learn what recommended blood levels are sourced by Dr. Mark Hyman.
The moral of the story: let’s make sure we are getting adequate Vitamin D. While we’ve heard about all the things we cannot do this year, here is a powerful tool you can use. It’s simple, cheap, and effective.
Where Do We Get Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is different from the other vitamins, which we get through diet. Vitamin D is unique in that we synthesize it from the sun when it hits our skin! We get *some* through diet, but likely not in sufficient amounts. Foods richest in Vitamin D include:
Salmon
Cod Liver Oil
Sardines
Herring
Eggs
Wild Mushrooms (though it’s D2, which isn’t as effective as D3)
It takes up to roughly 15 minutes in the midday sun with skin exposed to get optimal amounts of Vitamin D. Ask yourself: Are you outside with your skin exposed around lunch every day? If not, you *may* be vitamin D deficient!
Note about sunscreen: While it helps prevent skin cancer, it blocks up to 97% of our body’s Vitamin D production! For this reason, there is some value in spending short amounts of time in the sun without sunscreen. And it is free.
Why Is It So Important in the Winter?
Winter is cold(in most parts of the world)! When the daylight is shorter, and the weather is colder, we simply don’t get the sun exposure we do during other times of the year. Couple this with the “Shelter In Place” orders, and we have a recipe for mass Vitamin D deficiency. Though we can eat the foods mentioned above, we’re likely not consuming them in amounts for OPTIMAL Vitamin D status.
What Does Vitamin D Do?
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient for us to be prioritizing and, if able, tracking (with your doctor). There are a plethora of benefits to optimal Vitamin D:
Supports the immune system
Regulates inflammation
Regulates insulin secretion
Increases bone health
Combats depression and mood disorders
Cancer inhibition effects
Types of Vitamin D
There are two forms to remember, and the difference is easy:
Vitamin D2-
Comes from plants
Vitamin D3-
Comes from animals
Vitamin D3 is the superior form for us as humans, making it the superior choice when considering supplements. It’s more active and easily converted. (It’s also the form our bodies create with sun exposure)
Vitamin D Recommendations
Consult Your Doctor
Get tested! Find out officially if you’re vitamin D deficient. Per Functional Medicine Doctors such as Dr. Mark Hyman, optimal blood rages for 25(OH)D (vitamin D) are between 40-70 ng/ml, whereas conventional doctors use a range of around 20-50 ng/ml.
DYOR!
Do Your Own Research! You’re your own best advocate. We live in the information age. If there’s information you want, you can obtain it online. Don’t take recommendations at the surface level; there are many different approaches to medicine and health. Do you want to just get by day to day without disease, or do you want to vitalize your life? There is a significant difference. Obtaining optimal amounts of certain nutrients will make for a thriving existence.
Example:
The RDA of 200 to 600 IU’s/day is just enough to ward off diseases like rickets. Let’s aim higher with our health goals than simply avoiding diseases. Let’s aim for vitality!
Supplement and Monitor
If you have a deficiency, the best thing to do is supplement D3+K2 (under a doctor’s supervision, of course!). You’ll frequently see vitamin D3 supplementation in the range of 5-10,000 IU’s for a few (3-ish) months when deficient. Consult your doctor to put together the best game plan. Maintenance doses of D3 are typically found in the 2-4,000 IU range once optimal blood levels of Vitamin D are reached. These amounts can vary from person to person based off:
Location (living at northern latitudes)
AgeSkin pigmentation
Time spent indoors
*Vitamins A, D, E, and K are all fat-soluble vitamins and best taken with fat to maximize absorption.
Exercise Patience
It takes time! Even with supplementation, deficiencies do not go away overnight. It may take the better part of 6+ months to get to optimal levels. Be realistic with yourself. Deficiencies didn’t appear overnight, and they won’t be fixed in that time frame either.
A Quick Note on Vitamin K
To maximize the benefits of Vitamin D, you must consider Vitamin K ll, a synergistic vitamin. Being synergistic simply means they have a relationship with one another and are better together. D & K together are essential for calcium regulation. Vitamin D3+K2 combinations are easily found where supplements are sold, but it will require reading the labels. They come in both capsule and liquid drop formulations.
Sources of Vitamin K:
Leafy Greens
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Brussels Sprouts
Chicken
Eggs
Liver
Fermented Foods (sauerkraut, natto, etc.)
In Closing
This year (2020) has brought to light the many things outside of our control. We must focus on what we can control, especially related to our health. Still, we can take ownership of making ourselves as bulletproof as possible through prioritizing nutrition, exercise, hydration, and supplementation. All of these factors are within our control. They have been shown repeatedly to improve our immune system and give us the best chances of warding off viruses and diseases and provide us the best foundation for living with vitality.
It’s time to be proactive. We do not have the luxury of being reactive anymore. Our health and our lives depend on it.
If you’re interested in learning more about our A to Z solution for achieving optimal health, please check out our Whealth Limitless program page here.