We have been hearing about the role of vitamin D3, as an important substance for prevention, since the beginning of the pandemic from Covid-19 Indeed, it has been verified that taking it protects individuals both from contracting coronavirus but, more importantly, limits the possible damage and aggravation of patients who, while taking it, become ill with very mild symptoms and no complications.
It is not explained why for months, in fact almost for a year now, there have been quick and hasty denials about the vital role played by vitamin D3, instead of recommending it as a support to the immune system therefore, official information channels have been lavishing in disincentivizing its use, condemning it along with other substances such as vitamin A, quercetin, and vitamin C.
Speaking of supplements, it is the Istituto Superiore di Sanità itself that states that "dietary supplementation of nutrients in order to increase the functionality of the immune system has no indication in case of adequate intake, indeed it may even be harmful if it involves exceeding the maximum daily doses." What can we say about this? apart from the unclear way of writing in the Italian language in the official document posted on their website Superior Institute of Health website, these recommendations, which we find on several sites, when compared with documented studies and research on the functional use of these substances, seem entirely specious. Read these links to get an idea:
https://www.recentiprogressi.it/archivio/3366/articoli/33416/
https://www.nostrofiglio.it/bambino/salute/bambini-e-covid-19-vitamine-e-integratori
And then what scientific evidence are we to refer to? The same ones that have allowed the epidemic to run rampant for months, making Italy first in the Western world for covid-19 lethality rates?
I checked and on the website of the Ministry of Health and, unfortunately, they advise against the use of supplements and, in particular, vitamin D3; it is even listed in the archive as "Fake News," I attach the link and hope that the Ministry will have the intellectual honesty to correct and talk about the serious studies and research that for many years have counted vitamin D among the most important substances for our bodies.
If we simply take the indications of official sources as correct, we should accept that
"There is currently no scientific evidence that vitamin D plays a role in protecting against new coronavirus infection. The November 30, 2020 Circular of the Ministry of Health "Home Management of Patients with SARS-CoV-2 Infection" points out that "there is, to date, no solid and incontrovertible evidence (i.e., derived from controlled clinical trials) of efficacy of vitamin supplements and dietary supplements (e.g., vitamins, including vitamin D, lactoferrin, quercitin), the use of which for this indication is, therefore, not recommended."
Countries that have allowed the use of vitamin d3 against covid-19
While we are still so backward and stagnant in Italy, England and Scotland have decided to go ahead with the free distribution of vitamin D to the most fragile sections of the population in order to achieve greater protection from Covid-19.
Earlier this winter Boris Johnson declared that the British government, in the wake of what it had done in Scotland, would distribute vitamin D free of charge (and for four months) to the elderly, obese, and dark-skinned ethnic people.
Equally sensitive to the importance of proper vitamin D utilization was Slovenia, where MP Meira Hot, in a letter to Health Minister Tomaž Gantar, urges free vitamin D prescription for the chronically ill and those older than 65.
In this regard, a study conducted by scientists at the very Faculty of Medicine, Ljubljana University in Slovenia, was published in June 2020 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7275153/
in which the use of this supplement is explicitly recommended to help the immune response against covid-19.
I recommend that you read this article because it also contains very important considerations on how some choices of public health authorities are influenced by factors not merely protecting the health and lives of citizens but by quite other interests.
Use of Vitamin D3 in Italy
Even in Italy finally, in recent months, openings are being created on the subject, and while we are still in the midst of the second wave of infection, we are increasingly reading scientific articles devoted to the antiviral role of vitamin D, which is proving to be crucial in protecting us from infection and damage from coronavirus infection.
In July 2020, the website of the National Institute of Health, which seems to be changing its mind about supplementation, states that vitamin D "may cooperate with interferon in the antiviral response"
While there are still many reservations on the part of physicians and practitioners in general orbiting the National Health Service in admitting the importance of vitamin D3's action, there has been increasing awareness in the opposite direction in recent months, and we are reading more and more news in favor of its use.
What seems unbelievable is how one can ignore all that part of scientific research that for years now, on vitamin D3, has come to such important conclusions as to count it not only as an antiviral but as a substance (or more precisely "hormone") that is essential for immune response and for warding off serious diseases such as autoimmune and oncological ones.
Prof. Michael Holick world expert on vitamin D3
Fortunately, the horrifying second wave of Covid-19 in Italy and around the world is turning the tide, and we are seeing the publication of studies (which have existed for some time but have not been taken into account) that irrefutably show that vitamin D3 is not only important but essential; speaking about it is, in particular, one of the world's leading scholars Prof. Michael Holick, A Boston University physician claims that sufficient vitamin D may reduce the risk of contracting the 54% coronavirus.
Dr. Michael Holick, a professor of medicine, physiology and biophysics, as we read in the fine article in the Boston Herald said, "People are looking for the magic drug or waiting for the vaccine and not looking for something so simple."
Holick and colleagues studied blood samples from more than 190 thousand Americans from all 50 states and found that those with vitamin D deficient levels had higher Covid-19 positivity of 54% than those with adequate levels of vitamin D in their blood.
In addition, the risk of contracting coronavirus continued to decrease as vitamin D levels increased. The study was published in the journal Public Library of Science One. "The higher the vitamin D level, the lower the risk," Prof. Holick said.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0239252
Unfortunately, there is still no translated Italian book by the professor, but there are very good texts that I recommend reading because they are inspired by his studies.
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Finally and surprisingly also on the official Ansa channel on Jan. 16, 2021, we read that according to the Italian Society Sistema 118 "In the strategy of prevention of Sars-CoV2 infection, it is crucial to ensure adequate high blood values of vitamin D3 (because they are directly related to an increased immune response), in support of therapy against the disease, as well as therapy of the post-Covid syndrome, since modulation of the immune response by vitamin D counteracts the inflammatory cytokine storm."
In reading the data that emerged from the intake of several hundred Covid patients, it was found that, in the totality of patients with acute respiratory failure secondary to interstitial-alveolar pneumonia, there was an extremely severe vitamin D3 deficiency, which was all the more pronounced the more compromised the clinical condition."
What can we say? Better late than never...and we hope that official channels will also take into consideration these data that are increasingly coming to the fore so clearly that they cannot be ignored.
In our Salutebellezzanaturale.com Blog we will return in many more articles to talk about vitamin D3 dwelling on different aspects all of which are important, there are numerous researches both international and Italian conducted by different Universities that are becoming more and more interested in the subject.
In the meantime, I can tell you that I personally have been supplementing vitamin D for many years, always taking the advice of experts in high-dose supplementation, as I recommend anyone who wants to get to an optimal value in the blood.
Below are two products that I have selected that are among the best on the world market.
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