COVID-19: Immune-Boosting with Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a natural anti-bacterial and antiviral chemical. But, most Americans have too little. How to get more? Sun and pills.
-Byte x Black Oaks: Lower the Load Campaign
Day 4 of 14
Immune Support with Vitamin D
Today, our tip is more than a recipe:
Daily vitamin D pills: 2,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily (cholecalciferol) is a common dose. It’s available over-the-counter and has low risk of side effects.
Talk to your doctor or healthcare provider about checking your vitamin D levels and about whether to start a new supplement.
People with very low levels of vitamin D might need more than 2,000 IU of daily vitamin D. People who are already taking vitamin D pills might not need to add the extra doses. Your healthcare provider can help you figure this out.
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What is Vitamin D?
Vitamin D is an important part of the immune system. It helps the body kill invading particles by releasing much-needed antibacterial and antiviral chemicals.
It also strengthens the gut barrier, preventing enemy viruses that you’ve swallowed from entering your body through your intestines.
Most of the vitamin D in our body is created when our sunlight reaches our skin. It’s hard to get enough vitamin D from food alone.
Low sun exposure in the northern hemisphere from the Fall through Winter seasons means that more than 90% of American adults have low levels of vitamin D.
Many studies show that having low vitamin D increases your risk of getting a respiratory virus (like a common cold).
In these studies, there was a dose-dependent relationship, meaning that the lower a person’s vitamin D level was, the more likely they were to report having a common cold.
Another group of studies shows that people report fewer common cold symptoms if they take daily or weekly vitamin D pills.
Vitamin D is especially important for people with Asthma and COPD.
People with chronic (long-term) lung diseases like asthma and COPD were more likely to report a common cold with low vitamin D compared to people who didn’t have lung diseases.
