Hence, the darker a person’s skin, the more UVB light they need to make adequate levels of vitamin D from sunshine alone.Ī study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that 17.5% of Black study participants in the United States were classed as being at risk of vitamin D deficiency, a figure nearly 8.5 times greater than the percentage of their white counterparts who were at risk of the deficiency.ĭata from the past few months have shown that in the U.S.
#Benefits of vitamin d video skin#
The pigment melanin that gives our skin its color stops UVB light from reaching the cells. This inactive form then undergoes further chemical modification in the liver and kidneys. To make vitamin D, our bodies convert a metabolite of cholesterol in our skin cells into an inactive form of vitamin D when we are exposed to sunlight, specifically to ultraviolet B (UVB) light. There is already evidence to suggest that people with darker skin tones who live in Northern latitudes have inadequate vitamin D levels. One aspect of this is that it provides an elegant excuse about why people from marginalized racial and ethnic groups have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, as some scientists have suggested. People with vitamin D deficiency may, therefore, not be able to do this as effectively. The common thread is that they highlight that adequate vitamin D levels may help our immune systems fight off the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as with other viruses that cause upper respiratory infections. Their articles have appeared in journals such as The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, Metabolism, and Aging Clinical and Experimental Research.
We also discuss whether taking a vitamin D supplement can have realistic benefits, particularly for those in communities that have been hit the hardest by COVID-19.Ī number of experts have cited the 2017 study as circumstantial evidence that vitamin D may have a protective effect against COVID-19. In this Special Feature, we investigate why some experts have suggested a link between COVID-19 and vitamin D, and we dig deep to explore how convincing the evidence from the latest studies really is. Martineau and colleagues concluded that “Vitamin D supplementation was safe and it protected against acute respiratory tract infection overall.”īut does vitamin D have a part to play in COVID-19? By now, a number of studies have looked for links between the vitamin and the condition, and their findings have conflicted. Martineau, from the Centre for Primary Care and Public Health and the Asthma UK Centre for Applied Research, at Queen Mary University of London, in the United Kingdom, looked at data from nearly 11,000 study participants. The international research consortium, led by Prof. But researchers have attributed a host of other functions to the vitamin, and one of these is supporting the immune system.Ī systematic review and meta-analysis from 2017 in BMJ drew on data from 25 randomized controlled trials to look at whether taking a vitamin D supplement could prevent acute respiratory tract infections. Most people know vitamin D as an essential vitamin for healthy bones and teeth. Visit our coronavirus hub and follow our live updates page for the most recent information on the COVID-19 pandemic. Share on Pinterest Image credit: klebercordeiro/Getty ImagesĪll data and statistics are based on publicly available data at the time of publication.
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