High-dose vitamin D supplementation when infected with Covid-19: Is it possible to build an immune wall?

03/29/2022 10:39 GMT+7

Recently, the infection of Covid-19 in adults no longer makes people panic, but the infection of Covid in children has become a prominent topic.

On groups in the online community, there are recommendations for supplementing micronutrients and supplements to improve the immune system of children.

On the group “Raising children, being parents”, many people advise each other to buy supplements and vitamins for their children to use to prevent and treat Covid-19.

Mai Lan (Khuong Dinh, Hanoi) said that she was worried that her child would have Covid-19, and she bought a lot of vitamins C, D, fish oil, etc. to nourish her child in the hope of helping her strengthen her immune system because Vitamin D is also effective in treating Covid-19. Every day, she uses high doses of vitamin D for her children to strengthen the resistance wall as advertised by the seller.

Master, Doctor Ngo Duc Hung – A9 Emergency Center, Bach Mai Hospital said that like other immune boosters, massive and continuous supplementation of vitamin D in a short time in people infected with Covid-19 did not improve the situation much.

Because the effect on the immune system needs to take a long process, not a day or two. There are also some reviews that suggest that vitamin D supplementation during treatment improves mortality, an issue that is currently controversial.

High doses of vitamin D supplements can cause an excess of the vitamin, causing anorexia.

Statistics also show that the group of one-time high-dose vitamin D supplements was not as effective in the prevention and treatment of Covid-19 as in the daily vitamin D group (~400 – 1000 IU).

Therefore, Dr. Hung recommends that daily vitamin D supplementation is a must because daily food sources of vitamin D are not much, while synthesis through the skin through sunlight is difficult to implement, especially during pregnancy. Northern weather has many cold winter months.

Moreover, many adults and children were forced to stay at home during the long period of the epidemic.

According to recommendations, breastfed babies need 400 IU per day and should supplement until adulthood.
For adults, ages 19 – 70 need 600 – 800 IU daily and > 70 years old need 800 IU daily.

Vitamin D is an important component of the immune system. It helps the body fight viruses and bacteria.

The immune system acts as a shield to protect the body against viruses, bacteria and other pathogens. The effects of vitamin D deficiency on the immune system have become clearer when scientists have found that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of susceptibility to infection and disease.

A meta-study published in the journal BMJ in 2017 led by a doctor from Harvard found that vitamin D deficiency led to an increased risk of viral respiratory infections by 50%. Also in this study, experts suggest that you take a moderate dose of vitamin D, slowly every day, will have a protective effect. And taking high doses of vitamin D will not work, on the contrary, can lead to dangerous side effects.

Dr Wynn said vitamin D deficiency leads to dangerous lung diseases such as acute respiratory failure. Other research shows that vitamin D deficiency leads to weaker immune cells in the lungs, leading to a higher risk of developing acute respiratory distress syndrome or pneumonia.

Specifically, this study shows that vitamin D deficiency can lead to cystic cellulitis, pleural damage, and hypoxia. Later studies further confirmed that the risk of ARDS could be reduced if vitamin D was tested and supplemented accordingly.

In children, the use of high doses (over 4000UI per drink) has a risk of causing anorexia and poisoning, so experts still recommend that adults and children take the same supplement every morning before going to work or school.

Khanh Chi