Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been speculation as to which drugs and nutrients could prevent a severe course of Covid-19. Now a specialist society recommends that risk groups should be supplied with this vitamin.
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Vitamin deficiency associated with severe courses
The connection between low vitamin D levels and severe courses was statistically established early on in the corona pandemic . However, it is still unclear whether severe Covid-19 disease – like other infections – causes vitamin D levels to be depleted or, conversely, whether vitamin D deficiency leads to a more severe course. The chain of causality is therefore still unclear.
Since vitamin D has an important function in the immune system, both causalities are conceivable: When the body is struggling with an infection, it uses more vitamin D – the levels drop. If the body already has a vitamin D deficiency before the illness, the immune system has less available to fight Covid-19 – the course becomes more difficult.
Endocrinologists recommend vitamin D for risk groups
The German Society for Endocrinology (DGE) has now published a statement recommending that risk groups take vitamin D to minimize the risk of severe disease. In it, the specialist society of experts on the subject of hormones and metabolism emphasizes that the data situation is still uncertain and that an individual decision must therefore always be made between doctor and patient. However, they suggest supplementing with at least 400 IU (10 micrograms) of vitamin D daily for high-risk groups “those who are unable to exercise sufficiently outdoors or have insufficient exposure to sunlight”.
However, the DGE stipulates a slightly higher dose as the optimal dosage:
“For this group (…) a dose of 800-1000 IU/d appears to be the ideal compromise in order to secure potential advantages that have not yet been clearly proven, without exposing oneself to the risk of possible disadvantages.”
Statement of the German Society for Endocrinology on the role of vitamin D in the corona pandemic
The dose of 800-1000 IU (International Units) corresponds to the daily requirement of approx. 20 to 25 micrograms of vitamin D. You should be extremely careful with commercially available preparations, as many manufacturers sell their tablets in a significantly higher dose, eg between 3000 and 20,000 IU. High-dose preparations of this kind are clearly not recommended at this point, unless your doctor explicitly recommends them to combat a severe deficiency ! As an example, you will find two preparations here in a dosage of 1000 IU (25 micrograms), one in tablet form and one as droplets . However, always discuss the intake with your doctor!
The general population should not take vitamin D prophylactically
According to the German Society for Endocrinology, there is no general recommendation for the normal population, i.e. healthy people without a chronic disease, to take vitamin D. So far there is “no reliable evidence of a preventive effect of vitamin D in connection with COVID-19”. , it says in the statement of the DGE . Until there are studies that prove a clear effect, this recommendation for action will probably not change. However, vitamin D should never be ignored, especially in the winter months: “However, this assessment must not lead to the approach of not thinking about vitamin D in this situation,” emphasizes the DGE.
