Proper amounts of sun exposure allow your body to optimize production of vitamin D and melatonin. One really important health benefit you can only get from sunlight and not oral supplementation is mitochondrial melatonin production.
STORY AT-A-GLANCE
- Since December 2021, four large systematic meta-analyses have been published, looking at either vitamin D levels, supplementation or both. In all cases, the data consistently show that low vitamin D levels raise your risk of COVID while higher baseline levels and/or supplementation lowers all risks by 1.5 to three times
- In the first of these four meta-analyses, the odds of developing COVID-19 among those with deficient or insufficient vitamin D levels were 1.46 times higher than those with sufficient vitamin D. Their risk of severe disease was also 1.9 times higher, and their risk of death 2.07 times higher
- In the second study, the odds of ICU admission based on vitamin D status were 2.63 times higher among those with severe vitamin D deficiency, 2.16 times higher among those with deficiency, and 2.83 times higher among those with insufficient levels. Mortality was also much higher in all patients with low levels
- In the third analysis, only 12.19% of COVID patients who received vitamin D required ICU admission, compared to 26.27% of those who did not get vitamin D
- The fourth and most recent analysis found “significant associations of vitamin D supplementation with COVID-19, encompassing risks of disease worsening and mortality,” especially in seasons characterized by vitamin D deficiency and in patients with mild to moderate infection
At this point, there is simply no question that vitamin D optimization is a crucial component of COVID-19 prevention and treatment. In addition to the many studies published during 2020 and 2021, since December 2021, four large systematic meta-analyses1,2 have been published, looking at either vitamin D levels, supplementation or both.
