Vitamin D supplements can decrease Covid-19 ICU admission rate: Study

A new study published in the Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology has found that Vitamin D does not only stimulate immune responses against various diseases but can also be looked at as a potential treatment of the novel coronavirus.

The researchers stated in their study that Vitamin D supplements can decrease the rate of ICU admissions due to Covid-19.

The study was conducted on 76 patients who tested positive for Covid-19, in Spain.

Researchers made two cohorts of the patients. Both were given the same medical treatment based on hospital protocol.

However, one group was also given a daily Calcifediol supplement, also known as 25-hydroxyvitamin D.

The findings suggested that the supplement is a metabolite of Vitamin D which appears in the blood and may help in determining future health risks.

The study found that out of the group of 50 patients who received the supplement, only one was admitted to the ICU.

The study also found that patients who received the supplement were discharged from the hospital without complications or risk of death due to Covid-19.

Meanwhile, researchers noted that out of the 26 patients in the other group, 13 of them were admitted to the ICU. Two of these patients eventually lost their lives, and the other 11 were discharged from the hospital.

The study authors said in a statement, "Our pilot study demonstrated that administration of a high dose of Calcifediol or 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the main metabolite of vitamin D endocrine system, significantly reduced the need for ICU treatment of patients requiring hospitalization due to proven Covid-19.”