- A genetic analysis suggests that vitamin D supplements may not reduce people’s risk for coronavirus infection or COVID-19.
- The study focused on genetic variants that are linked to increased vitamin D levels.
- In the blood, vitamin D can be found in two forms: bound to a protein or free floating. The latter is the one that matters most when talking about innate immunity.
Like other nutrients that play a role in immune function, vitamin D supplements have been offered as way to prevent or treat COVID-19.
This stems in part from several observational studies showing that populations that are
But a new genetic study suggests that giving people extra vitamin D may not protect against coronavirus infection or COVID-19.
In the study, which was published on June 1 in the journal PLOS Medicine, researchers at McGill University in Quebec, Canada, focused on genetic variants that are linked to increased vitamin D levels.
People whose DNA contains one of these variants are more likely to naturally have higher levels of vitamin D, although diet and other environmental factors can still affect those levels.
The researchers analyzed genetic variant data from around 14,000 people who had COVID-19 and compared it to genetic data from over 1.2 million people who didn’t have COVID-19.
This type of analysis, called a Mendelian randomization study, is like a genetic simulation of a randomized controlled trial, the “gold standard” for clinical research.
Researchers found that people who have one of these variants — who are more likely to have higher vitamin D levels — didn’t have a lower risk for coronavirus infection, hospitalization, or severe illness due to COVID-19.
This suggests that giving people vitamin D supplements won’t lower their risk for COVID-19, although some experts think we still need real-world clinical trials to know for certain.
Source: healthline