There is emerging research that is beginning to link CoVid19 and Vitamin D deficiency. The purpose of this article to to examine this emerging research. And to clarify the level of vitamin D in the blood stream that might present a risk, as well as a benefit.
First, some background on vitamin D.
In nature there are two forms of vitamin D. Vitamin D2 is found in plants and is called ergocalciferol. This form is hard for the human body to convert into an active compound. Because of this vitamin D3 is a better source.
Vitamin D3 is found in animals and is called cholecalciferol.
By themselves both forms are inactive. Our bodies have to convert them to an active compound. This is usually done by the liver and then the kidneys.
Your liver converts vitamin D3 to 25-hydroxycholecalcifoerol, which is then convert by your kidneys into 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol. This final conversion is what is measured in your blood serum. A simple blood test can determine is you fall into one of the following three categories for 25-dihydroxycholecalcifoerl:
-
Normal – would be 30 ng/ml or higher
-
Insufficient – would be 21 – 29 ng/ml
-
Deficiency – would be 20 ng/ml or less
A 2011 study of the US population found that 41.6% of adults are vitamin D deficient. But when viewed based on ethnicity the following was discovered:
-
69.2% of Hispanics were vitamin D deficient
-
82.1% of African-Americans were vitamin D deficient
This might be a significant factor in CoVid19 and vitamin D deficiency being a greater issue in the Black population groups. As well as Hispanics having a high risk when compared to the general population.
Now before we look at some of the emerging scientific articles, let’s briefly summarize why vitamin D might be so important in the CoVid19 health crisis. Read More →
