NEW YORK: Is Vitamin-D Effective in COVID-19?: While previous research early in the pandemic suggested that vitamin D cuts the risk of contracting COVID-19, a new study finds there is no genetic evidence that it works as a protective measure against the coronavirus.
According to the researchers, including Guillaume Butler-Laporte from McGill University, vitamin D supplementation as a public health measure to improve outcomes is not supported by this study.
Most importantly, the results suggest that investment in other therapeutic or preventative avenues should be prioritised for COVID-19 randomised clinical trials.
"Most vitamin D studies are very difficult to interpret since they cannot adjust for the known risk factors for severe COVID-19 such as older age or having chronic diseases, which are also predictors of low vitamin D," said Butler-Laporte.
For the study, the researchers conducted a Mendelian randomization study using genetic variants strongly associated with increased vitamin D levels. They looked at genetic variants of 14,134 individuals with Covid-19 and over 1.2 million individuals without the disease from 11 countries.
The researchers found that among people who did develop the disease, there was no difference between vitamin D levels and a likelihood of being hospitalised or falling severely ill. (IANS)
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