Published on January 15, 2021
Video Friday: News reports low vitamin D levels may affect a person’s chance of getting covid-19
It’s Video Friday! Today’s video is less than two minutes long and cuts to the point – that there is an obvious and important connection between your vitamin D level and your risk of COVID-19 disease and severity. Please take a moment to watch and share the video along with our detailed information below.
Watch the Video
After watching the video, be sure to make note of our added details below!
Know Your Vitamin D Level and Take Steps to Decrease Your Risk of COVID-19
Here is a quick summary of what this video discusses, along with additional information and details about vitamin D:
- Vitamin D is essential for bone health as well as immune health. In fact, virtually every cell in the body uses vitamin D, and it even influences the expression of approximately 2000 different genes.
- Too many people are vitamin D deficient. Almost 90% of U.S. adults have a vitamin D level below the recommended range of 40-60 ng/ml. Those participating in the GrassrootsHealth cohort have significantly higher levels than the general population; yet approximately 42% of GrassrootsHealth participants were also below.
- Vitamin D deficiency is an unnecessary risk factor to COVID-19 as well as many other diseases – it is easily modified through testing and supplementation. There is NO reason to allow vitamin D deficiency to go unnoticed or unaddressed.
- Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to an increased risk of getting COVID-19 as well as an increased risk of disease severity and mortality. One study showed a 53% lower positivity rate with higher vitamin D levels.
- A case-controlled study shows 80% of patients with severe or critical cases of COVID-19 were also vitamin D deficient at hospital admission
- A randomized controlled trial treated 50 hospitalized patients with oral calcifediol (25(OH)D) and compared outcomes to a control group who did not receive the prescription vitamin D. Of the 26 patients in the control group, 13 (50%) required admission to the ICU with two resulting deaths, while only one patient out of the 50 (2%) in the vitamin D group required admission to the ICU, with no resulting deaths. In other words, vitamin D treatment nearly erased the need for ICU admission and did eliminate deaths.
- It is difficult to get enough vitamin D from food or sun alone; supplementation with vitamin D is essential for the majority of the population to get enough. The current RDA of 600-800 IU per day is way too low. 4,000 IU per day is considered safe, however, may not be enough for many to reach the scientists’ recommended 40-60 ng/ml (100-150 nmol/L) vitamin D level. Due to high variability in how each person responds to supplementation, vitamin D testing is necessary.
- Can you take too much vitamin D? Toxicity is very rare and difficult to achieve. However, it is good to know your levels and re-test after increasing supplementation to ensure you have achieved your target level and to avoid toxicity.
Everyone needs vitamin D! Below is a guide for how much you might need, and who may need more. Your levels can be tested safely at home – order your home test kit today!
Don’t Blindly Supplement – Test Your Vitamin D Level Today!
By joining the GrassrootsHealth projects, you are not only contributing valuable information to our study, but you are also gaining knowledge about how you could improve your own health through measuring and tracking your nutrient status, and educating yourself on how to improve it. Do you know what your status of vitamin D, omega-3s, and other essential nutrients is? Could your levels be improved? Test now to find out!
We now have a NEW GIFTING SERVICE that allows you to quickly send ‘Gift Cards’ to friends, family and coworkers who you consider might need immediate access to testing, and to Claim the Joy of Your Health TODAY. Give the gift today!
What does the Research Say about Vitamin D & COVID-19?
It’s TIME to start saving lives! If you can help PREVENT the majority of the death, it’s time! What’s it costing you/us not to take action NOW?
There is much published research that supports a clear link between vitamin D and COVID-19 showing that higher vitamin D levels are related to:
a decreased risk of testing positive for COVID-19
increased viral SARS-CoV-2 RNA clearance
better clinical outcomes among patients with COVID-19
decreased risk of death due to COVID-19
Be sure to educate yourself on the benefits and importance of vitamin D for immune health, and take steps to ensure you and your loved ones are getting enough.
You can review all of the COVID-19 and immune health information we have shared on this page.
How Can You Use this Information for YOUR Health?
Having and maintaining healthy vitamin D and other nutrient levels can help improve your health now and for your future. Measuring is the only way to make sure you are getting enough!
STEP 1 Order your at-home blood spot test kit to measure vitamin D and other nutrients of concern to you, such as omega-3s, magnesium, essential and toxic elements (zinc, copper, selenium, lead, cadmium, mercury); include hsCRP as a marker of inflammation or HbA1c for blood sugar health
STEP 2 Answer the online questionnaire as part of the GrassrootsHealth study
STEP 3 Using our educational materials and tools (such as our dose calculators), assess your results to determine if you are in your desired target range or if actions should be taken to get there
STEP 4 After 3-6 months of implementing your changes, re-test to see if you have achieved your target level(s)
