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Vitamin D: the New Covid-19 Chloroquine?

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Re: Vitamin D: the New Covid-19 Chloroquine?

#2
Welp. I don't think it's gonna make the difference if I get COVID-19, but I did order some Vitamin D supplements. I live in a low-sunlight area, work indoors, and don't drink a lot of milk. 75% of people in my region are Vitamin D deficient. I can put two and two together.

Re: Vitamin D: the New Covid-19 Chloroquine?

#3
One difficulty in determining if vitamin D actually helps with COVID is determining if vitamin D levels are directly affecting outcomes or whether they are a proxy for something else. For example: are low levels a proxy for people who don't go outside much and therefore don't exercise?

That's a huge problem in medical studies generally.

Re: Vitamin D: the New Covid-19 Chloroquine?

#4

Welp. I don't think it's gonna make the difference if I get COVID-19, but I did order some Vitamin D supplements. I live in a low-sunlight area, work indoors, and don't drink a lot of milk. 75% of people in my region are Vitamin D deficient. I can put two and two together.

There's enough evidence for vitamin D being beneficial that it's certainly not likely to hurt anything and is probably a good idea.

Re: Vitamin D: the New Covid-19 Chloroquine?

#6
post #3

One difficulty in determining if vitamin D actually helps with COVID is determining if vitamin D levels are directly affecting outcomes or whether they are a proxy for something else. For example: are low levels a proxy for people who don't go outside much and therefore don't exercise? That's a huge problem in medical studies generally.

There are now 24 trials (of some kind) listed on ClinicalTrials.gov:

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/results?term=vitamin+d&cond=C...

At some point, high-quality RCT results will be in.

Re: Vitamin D: the New Covid-19 Chloroquine?

#7
post #3

One difficulty in determining if vitamin D actually helps with COVID is determining if vitamin D levels are directly affecting outcomes or whether they are a proxy for something else. For example: are low levels a proxy for people who don't go outside much and therefore don't exercise? That's a huge problem in medical studies generally.

In other words: establishing causation (or lack of it) is more useful than merely correlation. Yes. But hardly breaking news, or even specific to medicine.

Re: Vitamin D: the New Covid-19 Chloroquine?

#9
For me this is a perfect example of wishful thinking.

It's really hard for average person to accept reality: This virus, like all others, will last for a long time. We won't have, in a foreseeable future, a treatment neither a cure. Cancer, HIV or even seasonal flue are good examples examples of diseases that were discovered decades ago for which science still don't have a cure, there are a few treatments or easing medication, but none of them can be actually cured.

I expect that people will move from crazy solution to another on a regular basis until a final cure is found.. my expectation is this will last for years.

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