There is a connection, but indirect
The risk of getting COVID-19 and vitamin D deficiency could not be linked
A group of doctors led by the scientific director of Quest Diagnostics, Li Yonghong, did not find a link between vitamin D levels and the likelihood of infection with coronavirus, the presence of which was previously repeatedly reported by researchers.
The study involved more than 18 thousand Americans who, since April 2020, regularly measured the concentration of vitamin D in the body and passed tests for antibodies. At the same time, doctors also assessed the impact of other risk factors.
The results showed that vitamin D levels were below normal in about 65% of former coronavirus carriers, while a serious vitamin deficiency was observed in about 29% of COVID-19 patients. And an analysis of other side factors showed that unusually low levels of vitamin D in the body were typical for people suffering from diabetes, obesity, hypertension, as well as for smokers and those leading a sedentary lifestyle.
"On the one hand, we confirmed the results of observations of colleagues who found out that unusually low levels of vitamin D are often observed in the body of former carriers of the virus. On the other hand, the statistical relationship between vitamin deficiency and the likelihood of COVID-19 infection disappeared after we took into account all side factors, including age, gender and excess weight," says an article in the journal JAMA Network Open (Li et al., Assessment of the Association of Vitamin D Level With SARS-CoV-2 Seropositivity Among Working-Age Adults).
The results of the observations, according to the researchers, call into question the theories linking the unequal rate of spread of the virus in different regions of the world and individual countries with local differences in the typical concentration of vitamin D in the body of local residents, and this should be taken into account when predicting the further development of the epidemic.
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