COVID-19: why scientists are looking into vitamin D as a way to combat the virus

You may not know it, but loading up on vitamin D could potentially save your life.

Benefits of vitamin D

As surprising as it may sound, vitamin D is very valuable and is essential for the upkeep of your bones and muscle tissue. As the French National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety has specified, it is also essential for strengthening your immune system.

A rather enlightening study

What's more, a study led by Northwestern University in the United States found that there is a connection between low vitamin levels and more COVID-19 cases with higher death rates. As the study has shown, patients who had a vitamin D deficiency were more likely to fall ill and experience severe complications as a result.

Over the course of this study, researchers analysed data from hospitals and clinics in China, France, Germany, Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, UK and in the USA.

We interviewed Dr. Cohen, who believes wholeheartedly that vitamin D increases immunity since it activates the immune system, but he also says we shouldn't be putting all our eggs into this one basket:

We cannot say there is a connection between the benefits of vitamin D, which strengthens the immune system, and the fact that it could reduce the risks of dying. However, it is always useful for reducing the risks of infections, so getting enough vitamin D will always help keep yourself safe.

How to stock up on vitamin D?

Still unsure about how to make sure you're getting enough vitamin D? Well, good news. This vitamin can be found in lots of different foods, including tuna, salmon, sardines, anchovies, egg yolks, mushrooms and even milk and butter. As well as through your food, Dr. Cohen also recommends taking vitamin D as a food supplement:

You can take it in tablet form or as capsules, for example. I recommend taking one tablet every day because this way, the vitamin D levels will be more stable in your body and you will have a more regular rhythm.

In addition, you can also get vitamin D from direct exposure to sunlight, so we suggest you get out and sunbathe as much as possible!

Dr. Cohen concluded:

Vitamin D is absorbed by the sun. Whenever the sun beats down on you, your skin then produces vitamin D, so we recommend getting out for at least 15 minutes a day.