You are here

Over 200 Scientists & Doctors Call For Increased Vitamin D Use To Combat COVID-19

Categories:

Scientific evidence indicates vitamin D reduces infections & deaths

To all governments, public health officials, doctors, and healthcare workers,
[Residents of the USA: Text “VitaminDforAll” to 50409 to send this to your state’s governor.]

Research shows low vitamin D levels almost certainly promote COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths. Given its safety, we call for immediate widespread increased vitamin D intakes.

Vitamin D modulates thousands of genes and many aspects of immune function, both innate and adaptive. The scientific evidence1 shows that:
Higher vitamin D blood levels are associated with lower rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Higher D levels are associated with lower risk of a severe case (hospitalization, ICU, or death).
Intervention studies (including RCTs) indicate that vitamin D can be a very effective treatment.
Many papers reveal several biological mechanisms by which vitamin D influences COVID-19.
Causal inference modelling, Hill’s criteria, the intervention studies & the biological mechanisms indicate that vitamin D’s influence on COVID-19 is very likely causal, not just correlation.

https://vitamindforall.org/letter.html

Dr. John Campbell explains the relationship between K2 and D3. As always his explanations are evidence based. 

https://youtu.be/LfZpLllgd5Q

Hello Sandy 

I have been following John Campbell on his U tube channel since Jan 2020. I have been taking vitamin D for many years at 1000 iu daily.. is this enough for cml? I wondered? I was originally told to take it by my consultant as my vitamin D levels were very low, as that was many years ago I have never adjusted my dosage, however with the pandemic and winter on it’s way I wondered what dosage other cml people are taking?

Thank-you, stay safe  

Michelle

Hi Michelle,

I am sure Sandy will respond to your note.

Your 1,000 IU's per day dose of vitamin D3 is likely too low to have much impact on your blood levels apart from preventing rickets. You are likely below 50 ng/ml.

You should have your vitamin D blood status checked at least once per year. I test mine twice a year in order to keep my level at 70 ng/ml (+/-).

Ideal level should be between 55 ng/ml - 100 ng/ml with 70 ng/ml a "sweat spot" for anti-cancer benefits. Going over 100 ng/ml is not critical if you are also taking vitamin K2 (200 mcg per day) and likely never to occur. You should still keep levels below 150 ng/ml to avoid toxicity. But levels this high would require you to take a tremendous amount of vitamin D daily which you aren't going to do. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6158375/). Taking vitamin K2 balances vitamin D in the body helping calcium to move where it needs to be preventing hypercalcemia in the process. But even without vitamin K2, keeping your D3 dose around 5,000 IU's per day (until you test) will be safe and slowly raise your blood amount.

Once you know your levels and if they are below 50 ng/ml, you may need to double this dose for several weeks to increase your D status. I take 7,500 IU's per day in winter and 5,000 IU's per day in summer to keep a steady state level. I took 10,000 per day for 3 weeks in order to raise my D level for the first time years ago when I first tested (i.e. 17 ng/ml). Some people need much less to maintain D in the ideal range and some more which is why you need to have your blood tested so you know how much to take.

One final point, it takes weeks sometimes months for vitamin D to rise to the best level after you begin a dosing regimen. Likewise, it takes weeks for vitamin D levels to fall once supplementation stops (https://vitamindwiki.com/Half-life+of+vitamin+D+varies). Getting to a new higher steady state level will take a few months.

Hi Michelle,

Scuba as highlighted the most important points so I have nothing to add to that other than to say he does good research and shares the links, so safe to follow his advice.

Personally I keep my level quite high - equivalent to 90 -100 nano gramme per millilitre. I think there is some potential for confusion with the measurements i.e the US measure is expressed as nano grammes per mL rather than as in UK and EU, where the level is expressed as nano mol per Litre, so will be a much higher number.

I tend to follow US research (as well as Dr Campbell) on Vit D so always translate my tests into ng per ml. You can convert the numbers either way.

I supplement D3 at 8000 - 10000 iu per day (with added K2) and my levels are pretty consistent. I have access to my results via my CML clinic as they have a system called 'patients know best' which they update every time I have my blood tests (currently every 6 months). I can log on to my personal account and access all my clinical details. I am not sure every centre in the UK uses this system but it is pretty cool in my opinion. If anything is out of range they contact you via phone, so its pretty safe.

Good luck with upping your dose - I think Dr. Campbell says he take 4000 iu per day not sure why or what level he is working to, but it's certainly more going to be more effective than 1000 iu. So many people (including clinicians) are scared of D3 toxicity - without foundation really. As we have said in other posts on this subject, it is pretty hard to find people who have reached toxic levels, and those who have seem to have taken massive doses for many months/years before reaching toxicity. If you think about the fact that (for lighter skinned people) standing in the midday sun in summer time for 15-20 mins without sun block will give you a dose of something like 20,000 units, it puts all this toxicity debate into context.

Sandy

 

Click on the link for an excellent summary on role of D3 and K2 in the body and how they work together. Both should be taken per day for maximum health benefit.

By adding K2 to your D3 protocol, overdosing on D is practically impossible. Staying at or below 10,000 IU's per day will also insure you won't over do it.

(vitamin K2 is not the same as vitamin "K" or "K1". The '2' is very important to note when buying a supplement. Vitamin K2 is known as menanquinone and does have several forms (Mk-4, through to Mk-13). The most active form is Mk-7 which confers the calcium benefit most.)

D3:K2—The Birth of a Superhero Combo

Speaking of teamwork, vitamin D3’s natural partner is vitamin K2. The genius of this combo begins with proper respect for D3’s function of powerfully enhancing calcium absorption. Recent research has shown that excessive calcium intake alone can be harmful to the body. The additional calcium must be correctly utilized or it can show up in the wrong places and cause disease.

This is how very high doses of cholecalciferol kills rodents: excessive calcium uptake, deposition, and interference with normal cardiac and renal function. By conscientiously using vitamin K2 in conjunction with D3, this issue of “metastatic calcium” is thoroughly avoided.

If you know anyone in your family or circle of friends who have osteopenia/osteoporosis - adding D3 and K2 (400 mcg) to their diet will likely reverse and/or eliminate the condition. It has for several of my friends to their doctors amazement. Biochemistry in action. Our bodies are chemical factories. If you are losing bone, reverse the chemistry.

How can you know that you are getting enough of both vitamins D and K? Here is a quick summary on the topic, along with additional information and details about vitamins D and K.

Vitamins D and K are common in several ways:

• we received plenty in evolutionary times – vitamin D from sun, vitamin K from fermented foods and from bacteria on foods that produce vitamin K (times before refrigeration), plus lots of leafy green veggies
• both are fat soluble, should be taken with a fatty meal
• both play many roles in the body

Vitamin D can affect every tissue in the body; in fact, 25% of all our genes are affected by vitamin D, from heart health to immunity and mental health, etc… every system of the body is affected by vitamin D

Vitamin K is necessary for bone health, keeping calcium in bone and helps prevent calcium collection in the arteries

How much vitamin D do you need? Enough to maintain a blood level of between 45-65 or 85 ng/ml (Dr. Brown’s recommendation). The GrassrootsHealth panel of scientists recommends a level between 40-60 ng/ml (100-150 nmol/L).

• As a general rule of thumb from Dr. Brown, for every 1000 IU of additional vitamin D taken, you could possibly raise your level by 10 ng/ml (25 nmol/L) – however, the dose response for vitamin D is a curve, and everyone responds differently to intake
• Must test to know your level and see how you respond to a change in dose

Watch the video here

Another outstanding video from Dr. John Campbell regarding vitamin D & Covid

Dr. John Campbell

COVID-19 Mortality Risk Correlates Inversely with Vitamin D3 Status,

a Mortality Rate Close to Zero Could Theoretically Be Achieved at 50 ng/mL 25(OH)D3: (125 nmol/L)

Results of a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/13/10/...

Blood calcifediol (25(OH)D3) levels correlate strongly with SARS-CoV-2 infection severity

Conclusions

The datasets provide strong evidence that low D3 is a predictor rather than just a side effect of the infection.

Despite ongoing vaccinations, we recommend raising serum 25(OH)D levels to above 50 ng/mL

(On a personal note: After I achieved a constant vitamin D level above 50 ng/ml (I keep it around 70 ng/ml), I have not had a flu, cough, sneeze, congestion, sinus pain, colds, sore throat period. None. For over 11 years. Prior to having this knowledge and ACTING on the knowledge, I would get sick with colds multiple times a year and flu every other year without fail. Having raised my D level, I have zero fear or concern about Covid. It is just another flu. A virulent flu because it is new to humans, but it is a flu. And vitamin D at sufficient level in the blood will arm your T-cells to destroy the virus whenever it encounters it. But you must know your blood level so you know how much to supplement. Once you get your blood level above 50 ng/ml - what Dr. Campbell above reports will be of benefit to you. I don't fear Covid, I fear low vitamin D)

Ample Magnesium Is A Must For Healthy Vitamin D Levels

One of the many hats magnesium wears throughout the body is that it plays an important role in the movement and metabolism of vitamin D in the body.* It's doubly important, first for the transportation of serum vitamin D throughout the bloodstream, and next, for the activation of vitamin D for use around the body.*

"The mineral is required for binding 25(OH)D to vitamin D binding protein (VDP) for circulation around the blood and delivery to tissues throughout the body,"* mbg director of scientific affairs Ashley Jordan Ferira, Ph.D., RDN, wrote in a recent article. "Magnesium is also required for the conversion of 25(OH)D to the active 1,25(OH)2D hormone form."*