Researchers have found that people with low levels are more likely to be hospitalised with Covid
A lack of vitamin D, a deficiency common among Brits, has been linked to an increased risk of hospitalisation due to Covid. A study conducted by King’s College, in partnership with Guy’s and St Thomas’s NHS Foundation Trust and the University of South Australia, investigated whether levels of vitamin D could affect a person’s likelihood of contracting Covid.
The research also examined whether those infected were more likely to become seriously ill if deficient. Vitamin D is known for its immune system boosting properties, so understanding its role could help identify those at greater risk from the virus, scientists suggested.
The findings, published in PLOS One, revealed that individuals with low levels of vitamin D in their blood were more likely to be hospitalised with COVID-19. However, having low vitamin D levels did not increase the likelihood of catching the virus initially.
These results contribute to the growing body of evidence suggesting that sufficient vitamin D levels could lessen the severity of illnesses such as Covid. Researchers analysed health data from over 150,000 participants of the UK Biobank.
Professor Sophia Karagiannis, Professor of Translational Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy at King’s College London and co-author of the study, said: “Our findings in the significant size population of the UK Biobank point to the importance of vitamin D in supporting and maintaining a healthy immune system to fight infections and the need to expand research in even larger and diverse populations across the world.”
The professor added: “Next steps could be to test whether boosting vitamin D levels, by perhaps a combination of dietary adjustments, supplementation and controlled sun exposure, it may be possible to mitigate severe effects of COVID-19 infection.”
Vitamin D supplements can be purchased from Boots for roughly 2p per tablet, though experts have stated it remains uncertain whether these alone can lessen the severity of Covid. Additional research is required to better understand whether improving vitamin D status could help protect against more serious outcomes, experts said.