Scientists now report that high doses of vitamin D on admission did not improve the condition of moderate or severe Covid-19 patients.
A clinical trial was conducted in Brazil in 240 patients who received 200,000 IU of vitamin D3 on admission. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), supplements did not shorten the length of stay or affect the proportion of people who needed intensive care.
In vitro studies or studies in animals have previously shown that in certain situations vitamin D and its metabolites have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects and may regulate the immune response.
Rosa Pereira, a senior researcher at the University of São Paulo project, said: Paul’s School of Medicine (FM-USP).
Volunteers were randomly divided into two groups, one of which received vitamin D3 in a single dose of 200,000 units (IU) dissolved in a peanut oil solution.
The other groups were given only peanut oil solution. All participants were treated according to standard protocols for hospital treatment of illness, including administration of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs.
The main purpose was to see if acute supplements affected the length of stay in these patients, but researchers reduced the risk of hospitalization, intubation, and death in the intensive care unit (ICU). I also wanted to find out if I would.
No significant differences were observed between the groups for any of these clinical outcomes.