Evidence that Vitamin D Supplementation Could Reduce Risk of Influenza and COVID-19 Infections and Deaths
Sunlight Nutrition and Health Research Center · Highland Community College - Illinois · +2 more institutions
Abstract
The world is in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health measures that can reduce the risk of infection and death in addition to quarantines are desperately needed. This article reviews the roles of vitamin D in reducing the risk of respiratory tract infections, knowledge about the epidemiology of influenza and COVID-19, and how vitamin D supplementation might be a useful measure to reduce risk. Through several mechanisms, vitamin D can reduce risk of infections. Those mechanisms include inducing cathelicidins and defensins that can lower viral replication rates and reducing concentrations of pro-inflammatory cytokines that produce the inflammation that injures the lining of the lungs, leading to…
Citation impact
- FWCI
- 258.74
- Percentile
- 100%
- References
- 169
Authors
7Topics & keywords
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- 2019-20 coronavirus outbreak
- Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
- Medicine
- Betacoronavirus
- Vitamin D and neurology
- Pneumonia
- Coronavirus Infections
- Good health and well-being