There is “definitive evidence” that taking vitamin D supplements can help reduce the risk of COVID-19 progressing to severe levels where intensive care is needed, a recent analysis of five existing clinical trials suggests.
According to a team of scientists from Italy, the purpose of their study was to verify whether there is a strong association between the protective effect of vitamin D supplementation and the risk of death and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions in COVID-19 patients.
Each trial was then given a detailed meta-analysis, followed by a trial sequential analysis (TSA) using a computer program.
“A meta-analysis per se does not allow us to state whether the results are truly positive or false-positive. In addition, the inclusion of studies with large effect sizes and significant heterogeneity separates us from the truth,” the scientists explained. “For this reason, a TSA is mandatory to verify the reliability of meta-analysis results.”
“Despite the presence of randomized clinical trials with some concerns about the risk of bias, the new meta-analyses and TSAs found a significant association between the protective role of vitamin D supplementation and ICU hospitalization in patients with COVID-19,” the scientists concluded.
“At the same time, TSAs underlined the need for further studies to confirm the significant association between the beneficial effect of vitamin D supplementation and mortality,” they added.
While all five trials showed positive effects of vitamin D on COVID outcomes, the scientists said they found the treatment method used in one particular study to be the most convincing, largely because of the sheer number of patients involved.
The NIH states on its website, “Very high levels of vitamin D in your blood can cause nausea, vomiting, muscle weakness, confusion, pain, loss of appetite, dehydration, excessive urination and thirst, and kidney stones.
“Extremely high levels of vitamin D can cause kidney failure, irregular heartbeat, and even death. High levels of vitamin D are almost always caused by consuming excessive amounts of vitamin D from dietary supplements,” it continues. “You cannot get too much vitamin D from sunshine because your skin limits the amount of vitamin D it makes.”