In these uncertain times when coronavirus is the chief topic of conversation, most people are looking to high-profile health officials for help and answers for both preventing and combating the disease.
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To that end, former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden has penned an op-ed piece for Fox News suggesting that something you may already have in your medicine cabinet — vitamin D — may help.
“There are many crackpot claims about miracle cures floating around, but the science supports the possibility — although not the proof — that Vitamin D may strengthen the immune system, particularly of people whose Vitamin D levels are low,” Frieden writes.
Vitamin D supplementation reduces the risk of respiratory infection, regulates cytokine production and can limit the risk of other viruses such as influenza. A respiratory infection can result in cytokine storms — a vicious cycle in which our inflammatory cells damage organs throughout the body — which increase mortality for those with COVID-19. Adequate Vitamin D may potentially provide some modest protection for vulnerable populations.”
While there are no clinical studies (which take months and years to develop) to show that vitamin D can indeed reduce your chances of getting coronavirus, there are plenty of studies that show most Americans and many people around the world are deficient in this “sunshine” vitamin and could benefit from supplementation with it. The five top signs of vitamin D deficiency include:
1. Ongoing musculoskeletal pain and achy bones — According to vitamin D researcher Dr. Michael Holick, many who see their doctor for aches and pains, especially in combination with fatigue, end up being misdiagnosed as having fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome. "What's happening is that the vitamin D deficiency causes a defect in putting calcium into the collagen matrix into your skeleton. As a result, you have throbbing, aching bone pain,” Holick says.
2. Frequent illness/infections — Vitamin D regulates the expression of genes that influence your immune system to attack and destroy bacteria and viruses, so frequent illness and infections of all kinds, including colds and flu, is a tipoff that your immune function is subpar, which likely means you're low on vitamin D.
3. Neurological symptoms — This includes depression, "feeling blue, cognitive impairment, headaches and migraines. In 2006, scientists evaluated the effects of vitamin D on the mental health of 80 elderly patients and found those with the lowest levels of vitamin D were 11 times more prone to be depressed than those who received healthy doses.
4. Fatigue and daytime sleepiness — Studies have linked low vitamin D to persistent fatigue. One study found women with vitamin D levels below 29 ng/mL were more likely to complain of fatigue than those with levels above 30 ng/mL.
5. Head sweating — According to Holick, a classic sign of vitamin D deficiency is a sweaty head. In fact, physicians used to ask new mothers about head sweating in their newborns for this very reason. Excessive sweating in newborns due to neuromuscular irritability is still described as a common, early symptom of vitamin D deficiency.
The good news is vitamin D3 is also a powerhouse for your heart. It also can help prevent chronic diseases such as depression, diabetes and obesity. Beyond contributing to strong bones, sufficient amounts of vitamin D can help reduce your risk of several types of cancer. Furthermore, vitamin D strengthens your immune system, which protects you from colds and the flu by helping your body attack and destroy bacteria and viruses.
If you do decide to supplement with this vital vitamin, be sure to get your current levels checked first, so you know what to aim for: 60 to 80 ng/ml is the current recommended range for optimal health and disease prevention.
If you reside in a northern climate, you’ll want to take an oral vitamin D3 supplement along with vitamin K2 and magnesium. Because they work synergistically, you need all three to ensure proper balance and maximum effectiveness.
Also remember there is a difference between D2 and D3: Contrary to popular belief, the two are not the same thing, and they have different nutritional values. The “D” that you want to get is the one you get from the sun. Also, with supplements, researchers have found D3 twice as effective in raising your levels as D2.