Does vitamin D reduces the risk of Covid-19?
Vitamin D plays a crucial role in our body. This fat-soluble nutrient helps in improving the immune system. This has raised the eyebrows as to whether Vitamin D can help in warding off the deadly virus or not. Researchers have found out that there is a deficiency of vitamin D in the individuals of the countries that reported high death rates as compared to the countries where the death rate is low. It can be said that a sufficient amount for vitamin D could increase the chances of survival from the Covid-19.
Read on to discover the effect of vitamin D on our immune system and how this nutrient may prevent respiratory diseases.
How does Vitamin D help in improving Immune health?
Vitamin D is crucial for immunity. It helps in the proper functioning of the immune system that is the shield of the body against the infections and bacteria. It’s a very important nutrient for maintaining the overall health of an individual. Vitamin D has rich anti-inflammatory properties that act as a defense against the infections.
The main source of vitamin D is sunlight. Vitamin D improves the immune cells that keep the body protected against pathogens. The deficiency of vitamin D increases the risk of respiratory diseases and infections. It also affects the functioning of the lungs.
Can vitamin D help in treating Covid 19?
With the rising interest in the Vitamin D since the spread of the virus, many people are curious to know whether Vitamin D nutrient can help in preventing the coronavirus or not.
Growing evidence supports that the intake of vitamin D supplements can help in reducing respiratory infections. A recent study has shown that Vitamin D supplements reduce the risk of acute respiratory diseases by 12%. Vitamin D also improves the “cytokine storm”. It helps in avoiding cytokine system, when the immune system is attacked by the own body cells. Cytokine system is the release of pro-inflammatory cytokins in an uncontrollable manner. It damages tissues and can also cause multiple organ failure.
Research states that vitamin D supplementation reduces the complications associated with cytokine storms. It may also minimize the chances of uncontrollable inflammation in the individuals who have been suffering from the Covid 19.
Although the research and investigations are still going on to know if Vitamin D could help in treating covid 19 or not, but it can be said that just taking Vitamin D supplements alone won’t protect you from the virus. Moreover, deficiency of vitamin D may make you more vulnerable to the infections and could cause some serious covid-19 complications.
Vitamin D provides a lot of benefits to your health, including boosting the immune system. Taking a good amount of vitamin D may reduce the risk of respiratory infections among individuals. However, it should be remembered that there is no enough evidence to prove that vitamin D helps in reducing the risk of contacting covid-19. Although, its deficiency can cause problems and make you vulnerable to viruses, but it should also be noted that too much vitamin D may cause dehydration, vomiting, and mental confusion. Hence you should supplement a balanced amount of vitamin D.