ACER: Lower vitamin D levels in the body are directly related to higher coVID-19 cases and higher mortality rates, study found in 20 European countries

May 12, 2020 /
Bio-Valley
BIOON/ -- In a recent study published in the international journal Aging Clinical and Id Reearch , scientists from institutions such as the University of Anglia Ruskin found that the lower average body vitamin D was directly related to higher coVID-19 cases and higher mortality rates image source: In an previous observational study, researchers found that lower levels of vitamin D were directly associated with susceptibility to acute respiratory infections, and that vitamin D regulates the body's white blood cell response, which inhibits its release of too many inflammatory cytokines, while SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, is thought to induce excessive inflammatory cytokines Today, people in Spain and Italy experience higher COVID-19 mortality rates, and new research shows that the average level of vitamin D in the bodies of these two countries is lower than in most European countries, in part because southern Europe (especially the elderly) avoids intense sun exposure, while the pigmentation of their skin also reduces the synthesis of natural vitamin D The researchers found the highest average level of vitamin D in the Nordic population, perhaps due to the population's intake of fish liver oil and vitamin D supplements, and the possibility of less sun exposure, the Scandinavian country is the lowest number of COVID-19 cases in Europe and the lowest per capita mortality rate Researcher Lee Smith said: 'We found a significant correlation between the average vitamin D and the number of COVID-19 patients, especially COVID-19 mortality, in 20 European countries Vitamin D protects the body from acute respiratory infections, while older people who are extremely deficient in vitamin D are more susceptible to COVID-19 Previous studies have found that 75 percent of people in institutions such as hospitals and nursing homes are severely deficient in vitamin D, and the researchers recommend that patients with COVID-19 with different severity of the disease be specifically studied for their association with vitamin D levels Finally, the researchers said that there are limitations in this study, especially the number of cases in each country will be affected by the number of tests carried out, and the impact of different measures taken in each country to prevent the spread of the disease, and finally it is worth noting that we must remember that correlation does not necessarily imply causal association (biovalleybioon.com) Original origin: Petre Critian Ilie, Simina Stefanecu, Lee Smith et al.
The role of vitamin d in the in the inthe in the inthe sin of coronaviru dieae 2019 infection and mortality , Aging Clinical and Experiment Reearch (2020) DOI: 10.1007/40520-020-01570-8