In vitro research or trials with animals had beforehand proven that in sure conditions vitamin D and its metabolites can have anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial results, in addition to modulating the immune response.
“We decided to investigate whether a high dose of the substance could have a protective effect in the context of an acute viral infection, reducing either the inflammation or the viral load,” mentioned Rosa Pereira, principal investigator for the challenge on the College of Sao Paulo’s Medical College (FM-USP).
The volunteers had been randomly divided into two teams, one in every of which was given vitamin D3 in a single dose of 200,000 models (IU) dissolved in a peanut oil answer.
The opposite group was given solely the peanut oil answer.
All contributors had been handled in line with the usual protocol for hospital remedy of the illness, which incorporates administration of antibiotics and anti inflammatory medicine.
The primary function was to see if acute supplementation would have an effect on the size of hospital keep for these sufferers, however the researchers additionally needed to search out out whether or not it could mitigate the dangers of admission to the intensive care unit (ICU), intubation and loss of life.
No vital distinction between the teams was noticed for any of those medical outcomes.
In accordance with Pereira, the research was designed above all to evaluate the impression on hospital keep and a bigger variety of volunteers can be wanted to attain a scientifically acceptable estimate of the impact on mortality.
“So far we can say there’s no indication to administer vitamin D to patients who come to the hospital with severe Covid-19,” she mentioned.
Pereira is at the moment main a research to search out out whether or not topics with adequate circulating ranges of vitamin D fight an infection by SARS-CoV-2 higher than these with inadequate ranges of the nutrient.
The perfect degree of vitamin D within the blood and the every day supplementation dose differ in line with age and general well being, she defined.
“The ideal approach is case-by-case analysis, if necessary, dosing the substance periodically by means of blood work, with supplementation if a deficiency is detected,” Pereira mentioned.