Vitamin D for Cold, Flu & COVID-19 season - it just might save your life!
That sounds like a grand statement, I know. I’ll explain. For many years, medical professionals have debated the importance of supplementing with Vitamin D, “the sunshine vitamin.” To be honest, I’m not sure what there is to debate about. On the international PubMed research database, there are hundreds of articles associating low Vitamin D (less than 30 ng/ml) with increased risk of cancer, osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes, dementia, depression, viral illness, autoimmune disease… and now we can add COVID-19 to the list. In a recent Chicago study, individuals with low Vitamin D were twice as likely to test positive for COVID-19! (1)
Even prior to this report, Dr. Fauci (director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases) endorsed supplementing with Vitamin D daily, and astute individuals will have noted that Mr. Trump was given Vitamin D, Zinc and Melatonin at the time of his COVID-19 diagnosis (in addition to many prescription and experimental drugs). The very reputable Cochrane Review (2014) noted that “Vitamin D3 seemed to decrease mortality in elderly people living independently or in institutional care.” (2) This is quite the endorsement from a journal that rarely notes positive findings for supplements. In addition, a very well done 2017 review in the British Medical Journal of 25 double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled Vitamin D supplement trials did show benefit in decreasing winter colds overall.(3) So, given the upcoming unprecedented combo of cold/flu/pandemic season, it seems prudent to at least consider supplementing with Vitamin D. In my 16-years of medical practice, over 80% of patients test below 30 ng/ml and require supplementation, likely due to decreased sun exposure and poor availability in our diet. The top food source is oily fish (like salmon). Depending on your skin type, it might be safe to try to get enough Vitamin D through sunlight, but during the winter you would need to have most of your body exposed mid-day for 1 hour in order to get 1000 IU of Vitamin D! (4) Even in California, that could get a bit chilly.
Bottom line: Feel empowered to ask your doctor to check a 25-OH Vitamin D blood test and make sure it’s over 30 ng/ml -- according to research, it just might save your life! Given this current climate, if you do not feel safe getting a blood test, I would feel very comfortable supplementing 1000 IU (25 mcg) Vitamin D in all of my patients who are not already on a supplement -- check your multivitamin! Vitamin D should be taken with a fat-containing meal. In general, it takes 1000 IU (25 mcg) Vitamin D to increase your level by 10 points. The goal is over 30 ng/ml, preferably into the 40s, and toxicity is a level over 80 ng/ml, thus it’s highly unlikely to overdose at the doses discussed. Interestingly, cholesterol-lowering statin drugs (like
Lipitor and Crestor) can actually increase blood Vitamin D levels, so if you are on this medication, consider checking a blood test before supplementing. As a general practice, I like to recheck levels about 8 weeks after adding a supplement, to ensure efficacy.
While Vitamin D taken as noted in this article is generally considered safe, please consult with a knowledgeable practitioner prior to making any changes in your healthcare regimen.
May you stay healthy, safe & resilient!
Written by Gina Serraiocco MD, Sutter PAMF Physician, board-certified in Internal Medicine and Integrative Medicine. She has a lifelong passion for helping patients discover their innate healing abilities. Dr. Serraiocco empowers patients to gain vibrant health via personalized nutrition paradigms and lifestyle-based programs through the Integrative Medicine Department at Sutter PAMF.
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