Category: COVID19

More evidence that this vitamin protects people against severe COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and death.

A study on nearly half a million people in the UK found that UVB radiation strongly protects people against COVID-19 hospitalization and death.

The sun’s Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation is the key for the production of 25-OHD known as calcifediol, the active form of vitamin D.

The study looked at the protective effect of ambient UVB radiation on individuals before COVID-19 infection.

The results showed that vitamin D produced in the skin from exposure to UVB radiation (vitD-UVB) was strongly and inversely associated with COVID-19 hospitalization and death.

Past studies suggest that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of viral and bacterial respiratory infections.

During the pandemic several studies have found a strong link between vitamin D deficiency and coronavirus infection.

However, factors such as obesity, being elderly, and chronic conditions have been linked to lower levels of vitamin D and so higher severity of COVID-19.

The study shows that vitamin D status comes from both genetic predisposition and lifestyle factors.

Previous studies have failed to show the link between vitamin D and COVID-19 using genetic data.

This may be related to the fact that UVB radiation from the sunlight, which is the main source of vitamin D for most people, was overlooked.

Professor Lina Zgaga, the study’s co-author, said:

“Our study adds further evidence that vitamin D might protect against severe COVID-19 infection.

Conducting a properly designed COVID-19 randomized controlled trial of vitamin D supplementation is critical.

Until then, given that vitamin D supplements are safe and cheap, it is definitely advisable to take supplements and protect against vitamin D deficiency, particularly with winter on the horizon.”

Vitamin D is crucial for the immune system: it improves the body’s defence response against infections, helps avert respiratory infections, and reduces the need for antibiotics.

According to another study, a sufficient level of vitamin D could halve the risk of catching coronavirus and protect COVID-19 patients from the worst of the disease.

The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports (Li et al., 2021).

One group of people have ‘super immunity’ against coronavirus disease.

Fully vaccinated people who have a breakthrough infection of COVID end up with “super immunity”.

According to researchers at Oregon University, people who were vaccinated and then got a coronavirus infection are the most protected against the disease.

For this study, a group of vaccinated people who had a breakthrough infection were compared to another group of vaccinated people who never had COVID.

They saw that those with breakthrough infections had an increase in antibodies by 2,000 percent compared with the other group.

Dr Fikadu Tafesse, the study’s co-author, said:

“The increases were substantial, up to a 1,000% increase and sometimes up to 2,000%, so it’s really high immunity.

It’s almost ‘super immunity.'”

However, the authors warn that people should not try to get infected with the coronavirus because there is a risk of severe illness.

Professor Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease expert, commented on the study:

“This is one of the first that shows a breakthrough infection following vaccination generates stronger immunity than prior infection or vaccination alone.”

Several studies have suggested that individuals who had COVID and received one dose of a COVID vaccine were highly protected from re-infection.

Professor Gandhi said:

“This is one of the first that shows a breakthrough infection following vaccination generates stronger immunity than prior infection or vaccination alone.”

Omicron is more contagious than Delta and other COVID variants, thus these findings are reassuring for vaccinated people.

However, fully vaccinated people can be infected with Omicron but most are either asymptomatic or experience mild symptoms.

Dr Tafesse said:

“What we’re saying is, we know life happens.

If you happen to be exposed to the virus, you’ll have this amazing immune response.

It mirrors the immunity response we get to the booster.”

Experts think that the immune system learns all the time; when it sees the virus or the vaccine, it gets ready to fight better against different COVID variants.

Professor Shane Crotty, a virologist at La Jolla Institute for Immunology, said:

“If you get at least one dose of vaccine, you’ll have the best immunity of anyone.

You’ll have amazing immunity against omicron and any variant that’s been identified.”

The study was published in JAMA (Bates et al., 2021).

Being low in the vitamin puts these workers at higher risk of catching COVID-19.

Having sufficient vitamin D levels is linked to a lower risk of COVID-19 infection, research finds.

Healthcare workers with low levels of vitamin D were more likely to be infected.

Low vitamin D levels were linked to a reduced production of antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The conclusions come from a study of 392 healthcare workers in the UK.

Just over half had antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, showing they had been infected with the virus.

Those low in vitamin D were more likely to report pains and body aches and symptoms of fever when they had the disease.

Almost 17 percent were deficient in vitamin D, with higher prevalence among Black, Asian and ethnic minority workers.

Professor David Thickett, study co-author, said:

“Our study has shown that there is an increased risk of COVID-19 infection in healthcare workers who are deficient in vitamin D.

Our data adds to the emerging evidence from studies in the UK and globally that individuals with severe COVID-19 are more vitamin D deficient than those with mild disease.

Finally, our results, combined with existing evidence further demonstrates the potential benefits of vitamin D supplementation in individuals at risk of vitamin D deficiency or who are shown to be deficient as a way to potentially alleviate the impact of COVID-19.”

Previous studies have also suggested that vitamin D deficiency makes people vulnerable to coronavirus infection.

Vitamin D is crucial for the immune system: it improves the body’s defence response against infections, helps avert respiratory infections, and reduces the need for antibiotics.

A sufficient level of vitamin D could halve the risk of catching coronavirus and protect COVID-19 patients from the worst of the disease, according to another recent study.

The study was published in medRxiv  (Faniyi et al., 2020).

More than 80 percent of patients hospitalized with COVID are deficient in this nutrient.

Estimates of the number of people with low vitamin D status varies from 1 billion to as many as 50 percent of the world’s population.

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with chronic conditions such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and high rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

According to a study, vitamin D deficiency is found in 82.2 percent of hospitalised patients with COVID.

25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) or calcifediol is the major form of vitamin D and its levels are influenced by geographical and seasonal pattern.

Calcifediol is mainly converted in the kidneys to calcitriol, the active hormone of vitamin D.

The hormone regulates blood calcium concentration which keeps the bones healthy and the immune response in balance against infection.

The research team examined 216 COVID patients in a Spanish hospital and found over 80 percent of them were vitamin D deficient.

Men had lower levels of vitamin D than women.

Also, those patients with vitamin D deficiency had increased levels of inflammatory markers ferritin and D-dimer in their blood.

Elevated levels of these proteins could cause a cytokine storm, a life-threatening condition associated with COVID.

Dr José L. Hernández, the study’s first author, said:

“One approach is to identify and treat vitamin D deficiency, especially in high-risk individuals such as the elderly, patients with comorbidities, and nursing home residents, who are the main target population for the COVID-19.

Vitamin D treatment should be recommended in COVID-19 patients with low levels of vitamin D circulating in the blood since this approach might have beneficial effects in both the musculoskeletal and the immune system.”

A previous study by Professor Holick and colleagues revealed that vitamin D sufficiency helps to overcome the coronavirus disease and other types of upper respiratory infections such as influenza.

Patients with a sufficient amount of vitamin D have higher levels of lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell which fights infection, and their blood shows a lower level of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory indicator.

A blood level of 30 nanogram per millilitre of vitamin D has been shown to protect patients with COVID-19 against complications and death, as well as reducing the risk of getting ill by a large amount.

The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (Hernández et al., 2020).

Some chemicals added to food or food packaging harm the immune system and reduce vaccine efficacy.

A preservative used in a wide range of foods and a coating on food packaging products can harm the immune system and reduce the antibody response to vaccines.

Tertiary Butylhydroquinone (TBHQ), also known as E319 in Europe, is an approved additive used to increase the shelf-life of  processed foods.

It is used in cooking oils, processed or frozen meats, bakery products, crackers and more specifically popular brands like Rice Krispies Treats, Cheez-Its, Pop-Tarts and many more.

PFAS also called “forever chemicals” — used as coatings on food packaging (food wrappers, plastic packaging, bags, and boxes) –can leak into food and drink.

A study assessed the toxicity and health hazards of TBHQ and PFAS in humans and animals.

Their review shows that BHQ and PFAS can impair the immune system.

Given the coronavirus pandemic, this finding is particularly worrying.

Dr Olga Naidenko, the study’s first author, said:

“The pandemic has focused public and scientific attention on environmental factors that can impact the immune system.

Before the pandemic, chemicals that may harm the immune system’s defense against infection or cancer did not receive sufficient attention from public health agencies.

To protect public health, this must change.”

Past studies have suggested that TBHQ activity hinders the production of immune cell proteins, reduces the efficacy of flu vaccines, and increases the risk of food allergies.

PFAS levels can damage immune function, resulting in lower disease resistance or higher risk of infections.

High levels of PFAS have been linked to asthma and food allergies in teenagers.

Another study also found an association between elevated blood levels of PFBA and increased risk of COVID-19 severity (Grandjean et al., 2020).

Many additives in processed foods can increase the risk of hormonal imbalance, cancer, and damage to the nervous system.

However, the food additives regulation set by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ignores the latest research showing the negative impacts of additives on human health.

The FDA often lets food manufacturers decide what chemicals are safe and legal to use in food packaging.

Professor Scott Faber, EWG’s senior vice president for government affairs, said:

“Food manufacturers have no incentive to change their formulas.

Too often, the FDA allows the food and chemical industry to determine which ingredients are safe for consumption.

Our research shows how important it is that the FDA take a second look at these ingredients and test all food chemicals for safety.”

Foods and drinks can be produced without any of these harmful ingredients and there should be a safer approach towards food packaging.

For now, the EWG’s Food Scores database might be a useful tool for many shoppers to chose healthier products.

The study was published in International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (Naidenko et al., 2021).

A dummy COVID vaccine injection caused side-effects such as headache, fatigue, and fever in 35 percent of participants.

Two-thirds of the COVID vaccine side-effects are not caused by the jab itself, a study estimates.

Indeed, one-third of participants who were given a dummy injection not containing the COVID vaccine also reported one or more side-effects.

The most common adverse effects were fatigue and headache in the dummy vaccine group.

The explanation for this is related to the placebo and nocebo effect.

Placebo and nocebo

Some people experience physical or mental health improvements after taking a ‘dummy’ treatment, a phenomenon known as the placebo effect.

A placebo or dummy treatment is a substance such as sugar pill or a saline syringe that has no therapeutic effect but is prescribed as a real medicine to subjects.

There is another phenomenon called the “nocebo effect” which occurs when a person experiences an adverse reaction after taking a non-pharmacological drug.

For example, after taking a sugar pill feeling nauseous, or a syringe of saline causing fatigue.

The genetic, psychological, or biological reasons for positive or adverse effects from a dummy treatment are not clear.

However, some influential factors such as patients’ faith in their physician and expectations (when one expects something to have an effect then it does) could make patients feel better or experience less side-effects.

Dummy injections of COVID vaccine

A study compared the adverse event rates in participants who received a COVID vaccine with those who received a dummy injection containing no vaccine.

Dr Julia Haas, the study’s first author, said:

“Adverse events after placebo treatment are common in randomized controlled trials.

Collecting systematic evidence regarding these nocebo responses in vaccine trials is important for COVID-19 vaccination worldwide, especially because concern about side effects is reported to be a reason for vaccine hesitancy.”

The findings are based on 12 clinical trials of COVID vaccines which included 22,802 vaccine recipients and 22,578 participants who received a dummy injection (placebo group).

The common side-effects in the placebo group were headache, fatigue, and fever which were reported by 35 percent of participants after the first injection.

The other side-effects were pain, swelling or redness at the injection site which were reported by 16 percent of placebo recipients.

More than 46 percent of those who received the first dose of vaccine experienced some adverse reactions.

Interestingly, one or more of their adverse effects were most likely to be nocebo responses.

The study suggests that the nocebo effect accounted for 76 percent of adverse reactions after the first dose of vaccine and 52 percent after the second dose.

Professor Ted Kaptchuk, study co-author, said:

“Nonspecific symptoms like headache and fatigue—which we have shown to be particularly nocebo sensitive—are listed among the most common adverse reactions following COVID-19 vaccination in many information leaflets.

Evidence suggests that this sort of information may cause people to misattribute common daily background sensations as arising from the vaccine or cause anxiety and worry that make people hyper alert to bodily feelings about adverse events.”

He added:

“Medicine is based on trust.

Our findings lead us to suggest that informing the public about the potential for nocebo responses could help reduce worries about COVID-19 vaccination, which might decrease vaccination hesitancy.”

The study was published in JAMA Network Open (Haas et al., 2022).

The vitamin plays a double role in relation to the novel COVID-19 virus.

Vitamin D may help to reduce the risk of COVID-19.

Vitamin D plays two different roles; one in boosting the innate immune systems and the second in stopping the immune system from becoming abnormally active, a study suggest.

The innate immune systems are immediate and nonspecific defence responses that our body produces to fight against any pathogen, such as the coronavirus.

The worldwide data from the coronavirus pandemic shows a strong relationship between death rates and vitamin D deficiency.

Researchers analysed data from different hospitals across the U.S, France, Iran, Italy, China, Germany, Spain, South Korea, Switzerland, and the UK.

They found that COVID-19 patients in countries like Spain, the UK, and Italy with highest numbers of death were vitamin D deficient in contrast to countries with lower death rates.

However, people should be cautious about taking vitamin D supplements if they don’t know if they are deficient.

Professor Vadim Backman, the study’s lead author, said:

“While I think it is important for people to know that vitamin D deficiency might play a role in mortality, we don’t need to push vitamin D on everybody.

This needs further study, and I hope our work will stimulate interest in this area.

The data also may illuminate the mechanism of mortality, which, if proven, could lead to new therapeutic targets.”

Many consider that age distributions, healthcare quality, testing rates, and different strains of COVID-19 could be the reasons for the higher death rates in some countries.

But Professor Backman and his team were unconvinced:

“None of these factors appears to play a significant role.

The healthcare system in northern Italy is one of the best in the world.

Differences in mortality exist even if one looks across the same age group.

And, while the restrictions on testing do indeed vary, the disparities in mortality still exist even when we looked at countries or populations for which similar testing rates apply.

Instead, we saw a significant correlation with vitamin D deficiency.”

They found a strong link between cytokine storm and vitamin D levels.

Cytokine storm syndromes (CSS) is an overreaction of the immune system which can be deadly, as seen in COVID-19 patients.

They also noticed a link between vitamin D deficiency and fatality.

Dr Ali Daneshkhah, the study’s first author, said:

“Cytokine storm can severely damage lungs and lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome and death in patients.

This is what seems to kill a majority of COVID-19 patients, not the destruction of the lungs by the virus itself.

It is the complications from the misdirected fire from the immune system.”

Vitamin D not only increases the innate immune responses but also calms the immune system down.

This is why the correct amounts of vitamin D in patients could save them from death and also serious complications from COVID-19 disease.

Professor Backman said:

“Our analysis shows that it might be as high as cutting the mortality rate in half.

It will not prevent a patient from contracting the virus, but it may reduce complications and prevent death in those who are infected.”

This might explain why children are at lower risk as the adaptive immune system has not fully developed in them.

The adaptive or acquired immune systems are the second line of bodily defence which usually reacts too strongly.

Professor Backman said:

“Children primarily rely on their innate immune system.

This may explain why their mortality rate is lower.”

However, an effective dosage of vitamin D supplementation to support patients against possible complications from COVID-19 has not been established yet.

Professor Backman said:

“It is hard to say which dose is most beneficial for COVID-19.

However, it is clear that vitamin D deficiency is harmful, and it can be easily addressed with appropriate supplementation.

This might be another key to helping protect vulnerable populations, such as African-American and elderly patients, who have a prevalence of vitamin D deficiency.”

The study was published in the journal MEDRXIV (Daneshkhah et al., 2020).

One billion adults with this condition are at twice the risk of dying from COVID-19.

Blood pressure drugs can halve the risk of a severe COVID infection for those with hypertension, new research finds.

More than one billion of the world’s population have high blood pressure, a leading cause of premature death.

The coronavirus pandemic has a greater impact on some people’s health and individuals with high blood pressure are amongst them.

Researchers have now found that the risk of dying from COVID-19 is doubled for a person who has hypertension.

The risk of death from COVID-19 is even higher for those who are not taking a blood pressure medication for their condition.

Data were collected from 2,866 COVID-19 patients, 30 percent of whom had a medical history of hypertension.

The study found that hypertensive patients with coronavirus had double the risk of dying compared to patients without high blood pressure.

The coronavirus death rate for those with the condition but not taking any hypertension drug was doubled compared to those who were taking a blood pressure medicine.

Furthermore, the research team analysed this information with more data from 2,300 patients in three different studies.

They investigated the coronavirus death rates in hypertensive patients who were on blood pressure treatment drugs aiming the hormone renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS).

RAAS contains three hormones, aldosterone, renin, and angiotensin II, which are all involved in regulating the body’s blood pressure and electrolyte and fluid balance.

The study looked into the effect of drugs such as angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, and non-RAAS inhibiting drugs including calcium channel blockers (CCBs), diuretics, and beta blockers.

The team noticed that those patients who were on RAAS inhibitors were less likely to die of the coronavirus infection compared to those who were taking other antihypertensive drugs.

Professors Fei Li, study co-author, said:

“It is important that patients with high blood pressure realise that they are at increased risk of dying from COVID-19.

They should take good care of themselves during this pandemic and they need more attention if they are infected with the coronavirus.

In addition, there were 140 patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 who had discontinued their anti-hypertensive treatment due to various reasons.

We found that this was associated with a greater risk of dying from the coronavirus.

In contrast to our initial hypothesis, we found that RAAS inhibitors, such as ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers, were not linked to an increased risk of dying from COVID-19 and, in fact, may be protective.

Therefore, we suggest that patients should not discontinue or change their usual antihypertensive treatment unless instructed by a physician.”

A study by Khera et al., also suggests that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors could lower the risk of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection.

The study was published in the European Heart Journal (Gao et al., 2020).