Back in June 2020, we reported on the debate as to whether Vitamin D was a valuable tool in the fight against COVID. Now, this many months into the pandemic, the debate rages on, with some additional research and analysis suggesting there may be a role for Vitamin D in the prevention and treatment of COVID, though skeptics continue to warn that the data is too weak or the cause and effect still unproven. Moreover, there’s even evidence now that scammers have used Vitamin D claims as fraudulent potions to swindle innocent elders seeking COVID protection.

At this point, what we do know about Vitamin D is that there is an important role for it to play in general healthy aging (along with a host of other vitamins and minerals) and specifically for bone health, with a daily recommendation of 800 IU of Vitamin D for those over 71. We also know that worldwide, experts estimate that 50% of the population has suboptimal levels of Vitamin D, and up to a billion people are estimated to have Vitamin D deficiency, especially those who are older, have darker skins, spend less time outside, or who suffer from obesity, bowel disease or who have had gastric bypass surgery. While the FDA has only approved Vitamin D supplements for use in fighting osteoporosis, it’s believed to have many other benefits including boosting your immune system. It’s possible to get sufficient Vitamin D from your food intake, but more likely you’ll boost your levels with daily sun exposure or if needed and recommended by your provider, Vitamin D supplements. There’s an easy blood test you can take to determine your current Vitamin D levels.

So what about help with fighting COVID? Is there a role for Vitamin D? The pressure is mounting in the UK, where Vitamin D experts and advocates increasingly suggest there’s a mitigation role for Vitamin D to play in limiting the severity of the disease and increasing survival rates. With the attitude of little to lose and much to gain, experts have gotten the health system to provide 4 months of vitamin D supplements to all those in long term care, along with their caregivers, and to begin such supplements among prisoners, as both populations have had high rates of infection and death due to COVID. Some have even cited the words of Dr. Anthony Fauci, who’s said, “I would not mind recommending- and I do it myself- taking Vitamin D supplements” in response to the risk of COVID infection. And in a passionate op-ed recently published in MedPage, Dr. Richard Carmona, former Surgeon General of the United States, wrote (along with other authors), “We can’t wait for perfect evidence…Given the safety profile of Vitamin D, the 40% prevalence of Vitamin D deficiency in the US, and the raging deadly pandemic, we need to act now.” Yet a recent review of the data in JAMA Network labeled the available evidence of Vitamin D benefit for COVID to be “mixed and sparse” (though admitting there is powerful evidence of the benefit for bone health). 

Finally, the Washington Post recently reported that despite the mixed evidence, there’s been a 40% + rise in the sales of Vitamin D supplements over the past year- so clearly many have determined that while the evidence is uncertain, there’s not much downside to upping your Vitamin D intake. Given the terrible price we’ve paid for the pandemic, many are determined to do whatever they can to lessen their risk of infection and severe illness (while protecting their bones in the process). So while we can’t give you a definitive recommendation, we can suggest that you speak with your provider about your current Vitamin D intake and what can be done to ensure you’re up to recommended levels either through food, sunshine, or supplements.