This was taken from Instagram, written on July 29, 2000.
I’ve received lots of questions about vitamin D, especially since the following study was released: Low plasma 25(OH) vitamin D level is associated with increased risk of COVID‐19 infection: an Israeli population‐based study (DOI: 10.1111/febs.15495).
The main finding was that low vitamin D status is an independent risk factor for COVID-19. It is also well known that vitamin D has potent anti-viral properties including reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine production, which is protective in diseases that cause a cytokine storm (i.e. COVID-19).
Great food sources of vitamin D are wild caught salmon, tuna and sardines, cod liver oil, egg yolks and mushrooms. It is however important to remember that we often don’t get enough vitamin D from food. While wild caught salmon provides just shy of 1000IU in 100g and one egg yolk 37IU, it’s what we consume daily that counts.
Vitamin D really is a hormone that our bodies produce when exposed to sunlight. And many of us are deficient, for reasons including increased indoor time [hello COVID], over application of ‘slip, slop, slap’, or dark skin which has increased melanin, a pigment that lowers the skin’s ability to make vitamin D.
While sunlight is the preferred option, supplementation can be extremely helpful, especially during winter months and periods of isolation.
I don’t recommend Ostelin as it is often poorly absorbed. Two products you can access quite easily are:
* Adults: Bioceuticals D3 + K2 Spray
* Children: Brauer Kids Liquid Vitamin D
So how much do you take?
Well, it depends. In an ideal world you would test your vitamin D levels, aiming for an optimal level of 100-150 mmol/L (40-60 ng/mL). Most often I see 1000IU has been prescribed, as our RDA is so low. However, RDAs are designed to keep us alive [just] and in this case, avoid conditions such as rickets, but RDAs rarely achieve optimal health. Keep in mind that for most adults, 1000IU is rarely enough.
Please book a complimentary 15-minute consultation here if you would like to discuss vitamin D, blood testing and/or dosage of supplementation.
References
Merzon E, Tworowski D, Gorohovski A, et al. Low plasma 25(OH) vitamin D level is associated with increased risk of COVID-19 infection: an Israeli population-based study [published online ahead of print, 2020 Jul 23]. The FEBS Journal. 2020;10.1111/febs.15495.