Vitamin D, an Essential Nutrient

#VitaminD #COVID19

Recent research suggests vitamin D it may help guard against severe COVID-19.

"We know that a large percentage of the population has suboptimal levels of vitamin D. In fact, as many as 50% of the US population may be deficient in vitamin D," said a clinical dietitian at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. "This can possibly lead to symptoms including fatigue, tiredness, hair loss, delayed wound healing, decreased immune health, muscle pain, and more, with no other known causes.

"Part of the difficulty of maintaining vitamin D levels is because there are not a large variety of foods that contain much vitamin D." Ms. Kristin Gustashaw said in a medical center news release.

The vitamin is accessible to people through some foods, supplements, and Sunshine.

Food sources include egg yolks, milk, cheese, beef or calf liver, and certain fish, such as salmon, mackerel, tuna, and sardines. Other foods are fortified with vitamin D, including certain cereals, breads, soy milk, and orange juice.

Ms. Gustashaw recommends that people should get out in the Sun for at least 15 to 30 mins a day, but says they should be sure to get a constant source of the nutrient from their diet and supplementation.

Adults should get a minimum of 600 IU of vitamin D daily and 800 IU if over 70 anni.

Children should get 600 IU each day. And infants up to the age of 12 months should get 400 IU/day. We can determine our vitamin D levels through a blood test.

If you do have low levels of vitamin D, it's always best to talk to your healthcare provider or dietitian about the best way to boost your intake.

Certain medications can affect vitamin D absorption. These include steroids, the cholesterol-lowering drug cholestyramide, and the seizure medications phenobarbital and phenytoin.

While vitamin D toxicity is rare, there is no proof that taking more than the upper limit of the recommended dosage is beneficial, the experts said.

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