New study finds a link between Vitamin D deficiency and severe illness

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Israeli scientists said they found "striking" differences in the chances of getting seriously ill from COVID-19 when they compared patients who had sufficient vitamin D levels prior to contracting the disease, with those who didn't.

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A study published Thursday in research journal PLOS One found that about half of people who were vitamin D deficient before getting COVID-19 developed severe illness, compared to less than 10% of people who had sufficient levels of the vitamin in their blood. We know vitamin D is vital for bone health, but its role in protecting against severe COVID-19 is less-well established. The latest research was the first to examine vitamin D levels in individuals prior to them contracting COVID-19, the study authors said.

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Dr. Amiel Dror, a study author and physician at the Galilee Medical Center, said of the findings: "We found it remarkable, and striking, to see the difference in the chances of becoming a severe patient when you are lacking in vitamin D compared to when you're not," per the Times of Israel. The findings come from 253 people admitted to Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, Israel between April 7, 2020 and February 4, 2021 – a period before the highly-infectious Omicron variant emerged. Dror said the findings suggested vitamin D helped bolster the immune system to deal with viruses that attack the respiratory system. "This is equally relevant for Omicron as it was for previous variants," Dror said.

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The research doesn't prove vitamin D protects against COVID-19 and isn't a green light to avoid vaccines and take vitamins instead. Vaccines cut the risk of Omicron hospitalization, particularly after a booster, by up to 90%, according to the UK Health Security Agency.

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