Vitamin D and coronavirus
Vitamin D favors the production of antiviral substances in the body, so a good dose of it is important in these times.
Vitamin D, the same one that is essential for strong bones, could help improve the prognosis of COVID-19 and would even have a protective effect against the disease, although studies on it are just beginning, and this should be taken. With tweezers, it has been observed that severe patients with COVID-19 suffered from hypovitaminosis D.
What is proven is that vitamin D plays an important role in the immune system, so its possible involvement in the evolution of a viral infection such as that caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing COVID-19 is feasible. . Lack of sun exposure is the main cause of the lack of this vitamin, so winter could somehow affect the lack of it.
Protecting vitamin D
COVID-19 is a new disease and there is little certainty about it. What there is scientific evidence is that optimal levels of vitamin D in the blood protect us from viral infections such as influenza and may even improve the prognosis of others such as hepatitis or AIDS, and this is because the vitamin D activates the manufacture of antiviral substances such as cathelisins and defensins, which are produced by white blood cells and whose objective is to neutralize viruses, thus preventing them from infecting cells. So the better our vitamin D levels, the better our body will respond to a viral infection, which is the one that causes diseases like COVID-19. 90% of our vitamin D is activated in the skin through sun exposure and only 10% comes from the diet.
Dr. Ana Costa, spokesperson for the College of Dietitians-Nutritionists of Catalonia (CoDiNuCat), doctor in biology and food technologist says:
"We spend the day indoors, at the office, in the gym, driving in the car ... And when we sunbathe we do it with sun protection. That probably makes us accumulate years of vitamin D deficiency or even insufficiency. "
How to get vitamin D in confinement
If the sun plays an important role in increasing vitamin D, then we should see how we can acquire it during confinement, for example, in the garden, patio or balcony where you can expose yourself a little each day to the sun. If you don't have these options, identify a sunny window in your house, open it and take your sun bath next to it. Take the opportunity to read, relax, listen to music while the sun falls on your skin.
Vitamin D is activated through the skin, so the more surface you expose, the better. You can wear a swimsuit, short-sleeved polo shirts or shorts. Obviously you have to avoid sun cream and makeup, as many of these latter products have a percentage of sun protection.
Being half an hour in the sun is enough. In winter it should be done in the midday hours because the radiation is weak, while in the summer it should be avoided because you are at risk of burning yourself. A good time could be 11 in the morning or 5 in the afternoon. Keep in mind that brown skin needs more time in the sun because they have more melanin and this serves as a shield against the activation of vitamin D.
If you live in a city, the pollution absorbs part of these ultraviolet radiation, so it will cost you more to achieve optimal levels of vitamin D. If you smoke, the levels are also lower because tobacco interferes with the synthesis of vitamin D. It should not be forgotten that with age the ability to synthesize vitamin D is reduced. This is why it is important for older people to sunbathe every day. They are the main risk group for coronaviruses and those with the worst prognosis.
feeding
Dr. Costa assures that it is impossible to obtain the vitamin D we need only through food, but even so, it is worth remembering those that contain it the most, such as fatty dairy products such as butter and cheese, blue fish and the egg yolk.
Supplements
Dr. Costa suggests doing tests to check our vitamin D levels and taking supplements if there is a deficiency, always consulting the doctor before doing so. Ideally, consume these supplements in the spring to check your levels after winter and after summer to determine if they have risen enough with sun exposure. The results of the tests will determine if you have to take supplements throughout the year or only in the cold months, when the deficiency is greatest. People who are already scheduled to take supplements every 15 days or once a month, in times of confinement it is essential that they do not stop doing it.
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