The Possible Role of Vitamin D in Suppressing Cytokine Storm and Associated Mortality in COVID-19 Patients

As COVID-19 continues its spread throughout our world, scientists are still trying to understand why the mortality rate of the illness varies dramatically across different populations. While it’s generally understood why older generations are hit harder by the virus than others, the reasoning behind why some younger or middle-aged people are also having severe cases is debated.

Some suggest that certain comorbidities like hypertension or diabetes may be the cause behind more severe cases, but this fails to explain why some individuals without these conditions still have fatal cases.

Recent research from Northwestern University and the Boston Medical Center suggest another factor that may play into the severity of COVID-19: Vitamin D deficiency. While researchers were unable to directly measure Vitamin D levels in most severe and fatal cases of COVID-19, they were able to use C-Reactive Protein levels that were gathered to approximate Vitamin D levels in patients based on previously established links.

Their findings show that among patients with Vitamin D deficiency their risk of having a severe or fatal case of COVID-19 is 17.3% but in patients with normal Vitamin D levels that risk is reduced by 15.6%. They believe that Vitamin D can help suppress the cytokine storm in COVID-19 patients, thus reducing symptom severity and aiding in recovery.

While this research is still preliminary and needs to go through a peer-review process, it highlights the value in proactive lab draws that allow you to pinpoint deficiencies or excess in health markers. Being proactive in your health and wellness, not only helps you feel good in your everyday life, but also helps you avoid future health concerns that are difficult to predict, such as this current pandemic.

At Empowered Health, we make sure to run routine labs on our patients at least once a year, with frequent smaller check-ins on suboptimal or deficient levels throughout the year. By doing this we are able to help our patients achieve a healthy status quo, while also protecting them from future threats.