Bouleversee wrote:I remembered I hadn't yet read the links in On the move's post 386755 so have now done so. So back in May of last year research had shown the link between Vitamin D deficiency and the over reaction of the immune system in the face of a Covid 19 infection but I didn't see anything about that in the newspapers or hear it on the radio, despite the fact that those studies involved the UK. What is the point of doing research if nobody takes any notice of it? I don't think our Covid patients were even being tested for Vitamin D levels. How many lives could have been saved if they had been and appropriate treatment given which would have been easy and cheap?
To be fair, that research was only observational, just looking at existing data for correlations, without any formal blinded trials or other controls or anything like that.
There have been similar studies suggesting the tuberculosis BCG vaccine might confer some cross immunity..
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2 ... 121433.htm
"Preliminary study suggests tuberculosis vaccine may be limiting COVID-19 deaths" (July 2020)
""In our initial research, we found that countries with high rates of BCG vaccinations had lower rates of mortality," explained Escobar,(…)
Escobar, working with NIH researchers Alvaro Molina-Cruz and Carolina Barillas-Mury, collected coronavirus mortality data from around the world. From that data, the team adjusted for variables, such as income, access to education and health services, population size and densities, and age distribution. Through all of the variables, a correlation held showing that countries with higher rates of BCG vaccinations had lower peak mortality rates from COVID-19."
But then later and a different group of researchers, but still another observational study...
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2 ... 115550.htm
"BCG vaccination in infancy does not protect against COVID-19, Swedish data indicate" (sept 2020)
"Using information from the Swedish public health agency, researchers determined that BCG vaccination during infancy does not protect against COVID-19. Their results suggest that other, related factors likely underlie the disparities between countries."
But more controlled trials are still underway to try to get a more definitive answer...
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54465733
"Scientists in the UK have begun testing the BCG vaccine, developed in 1921, to see if it can save lives from Covid.
The vaccine was designed to stop tuberculosis, but there is some evidence it can protect against other infections as well. "
But it does underline that observational studies aren't usually considered definitive enough to determine treatment or prevention options for public health or in hospitals.
Returning to the vitamin D question, I believe there are / have been a number of more controlled trials now in relation to vitamin D - like the results reported in the OP - although from what I recall I think I've seen other reports that give different conclusions.
But I think some of that might be stemming from the question of at what point can vitamin D be given. I mean, if it's a deficiency that makes things worse, how long does it take to make up a deficiency? Genuine question, I don't know the answer. But I can imagine it might not be overnight. So potentially, if you're vitamin D deficient when you arrive at hospital, that might be too late to get the benefit.
For example...
https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/medica ... r-BB1buEYW
"Vitamin D may not help with severe COVID-19 cases, contrary to what researchers thought"
"There's growing evidence that vitamin D could play an important role in preventing coronavirus infections or improving outcomes for patients.
But a new study found that a large dose of the nutrient didn't appear to reduce the severity of the disease, contrary to what previous studies have suggested. (…) They found that patients who received vitamin D didn't seem to show any improvements. They spent the same amount of time in the hospital, on average, compared to the placebo group, and were just as likely to need intensive care, ventilator treatment, or die of their illness.
That suggests vitamin D may not be an effective treatment for severe coronavirus, according to the researchers.(…)This latest study is the first double-blind randomized controlled trial (considered the gold standard for this kind of research) to test if vitamin D can help COVID-19 patients. "