Live data from Hacker News

Vitamin D insufficiency may account for almost 90% of Covid-19 deaths

mdpi.com

171–180 of 304 posts

Re: Vitamin D insufficiency may account for almost 90% of Covid-19 deaths

#171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the reason? Maybe not share it but double check that the reason is still valid. The criteria changes pretty frequently. They always need more blood.

AFAIU you can’t donate blood if you’re gay. At least, I saw some segment on Anderson Cooper where he claimed that was the case.

>AFAIU you can’t donate blood if you’re gay. At least, I saw some segment on Anderson Cooper where he claimed that was the case.

That's not actually true. There are some restrictions if you're a man who has sex with men, but you're certainly not permanently barred from giving blood.

cf. https://nybloodcenter.org/donate-blood/become-donor/can-i-do...

Re: Vitamin D insufficiency may account for almost 90% of Covid-19 deaths

#172
As someone with a constant vitamin D insufficiency I'd like to remind people that absorbtion is very difficult - you have to take it with a fatty meal!

> The presence of fat in a meal with which a vitamin D-3 supplement is taken significantly enhances absorption of the supplement [1]

1 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25441954

Re: Vitamin D insufficiency may account for almost 90% of Covid-19 deaths

#173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Seems like that could easily work places with universal healthcare. Very little incentive to donate for free lab work when any medically necessary lab work would be done for free anyway. And second that, would happily donate in exchange for curiousity-fulfilling bloodwork.

The obstacle isn’t the cost of labs, it’s the gatekeeping. Having to go to the doctor for basic bloodwork is still inconvenient even if it’s free.

But even in USA you can go and get blood test without a doctor.

Re: Vitamin D insufficiency may account for almost 90% of Covid-19 deaths

#174
I would expect the death toll to be lower in sunny countries and higher in north. Italy and Spain was hit quite hard, but that was maybe because of a older population. But if D insufficiency is a leading factor, should you not see more deaths in the “younger” population in less sunny countries?

Re: Vitamin D insufficiency may account for almost 90% of Covid-19 deaths

#175
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that vitamin D absorption is one of those things linked to ethnicity. It is very basic and undisputed science that lower melanin in skin = higher vitamin D absorption. No European educational institution or government wants to publicise research highlighting that ethnic groups indigenous to the northern hemisphere are more suited to the natural environment they are endemic too, and less likely to have…

Wonder if there is also a connection with the declining popularity of cow's milk, which is typically fortified with vitamins A & D. In primary school, cow's milk have become less common due to increased awareness that different ethnic groups have different tolerances for lactose. Unfortunately, it appears the groups that would benefit the most from more vitamin D are also the ones most likely to be lactose intolerant…

You can find plant milk and even orange juice with vitamin D added.

Re: Vitamin D insufficiency may account for almost 90% of Covid-19 deaths

#176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also, an actual peer reviewed paper came out recently that showed giving vitamin d to covid patients upon admitting them did not decrease death rates. I'll look for the link but it was front page here like two weeks ago.

Please find the link because about 2 / 3 months ago there was a story that was exactly the opposite finding. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24366006 I've been monitoring HN for Vitamin D info very closely.

I think the parent poster is referring to https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.11.16.20232397v...

(Can't find the HN discussion link at the moment, unfortunately -- it didn't point to that particular link!)

Worth noting that this RCT was for bolus supplementation of Vitamin D3 at some point in their hospital stay, and excluded patients already supplementing with D3.

This study stands in stark contrast to the earlier pilot out of Spain: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096007602... -- though as noted, this was not D3 but rather Calcifediol (a D3 metabolite), and a much smaller study.

Re: Vitamin D insufficiency may account for almost 90% of Covid-19 deaths

#177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, you'd be surprised how much great research doesn't make it into Nature, et al. I wouldn't discount the paper purely because of that.

Also, an actual peer reviewed paper came out recently that showed giving vitamin d to covid patients upon admitting them did not decrease death rates. I'll look for the link but it was front page here like two weeks ago.

[deleted]

Re: Vitamin D insufficiency may account for almost 90% of Covid-19 deaths

#178

It's unfortunate that it is not simple to get regular tests for vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The whole process seems to be stuck behind the doctor appointment firewall. This might be one of the reasons why Theranos was so readily believed. As the quantified self movement that gained popularity around the same time showed, there's an appetite in certain segments of the population for this type of testing and trac…

I know, right; imagine if Theranos were actually legit. It'd be amazing. Something like that will probably come someday from some people who have more than just an idea and a zealous propaganda strategy. Current medicine, like a lot of fields, will probably be seen as incredibly immature in the next century.

Re: Vitamin D insufficiency may account for almost 90% of Covid-19 deaths

#179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the inexpensive treatments are abused by many different actors because they carry little or no cost to develop, thus there is reason a to be sceptical. For example you can find a lot of supplements that claim to cure various cancers and many have been proven to have no effect. People even claim that objects or they by themselves cure diseases. If not much money or effort has been put into a 'treatment' you ha…

Suffered horrific migraines for years. Was using injections that costs thousands. My routine these days? Magnesium, Vit D, and massaging TMJ joint. Diet helps a lot too. Cure cancer, no. Help various issues, often.

What was the process by which you found your self-treatment regimen? I've heard of magnesium's role with muscle clenching, what do the other things do?

Re: Vitamin D insufficiency may account for almost 90% of Covid-19 deaths

#180

It's unfortunate that it is not simple to get regular tests for vitamin and mineral deficiencies. The whole process seems to be stuck behind the doctor appointment firewall. This might be one of the reasons why Theranos was so readily believed. As the quantified self movement that gained popularity around the same time showed, there's an appetite in certain segments of the population for this type of testing and trac…

I get an annual every year for around $150 and can request any test that I want from my doctor. I don't think this is something you need to test more often than that unless you have huge swings in your diet. Obviously if low levels of something are detected there are follow ups. I was actually low on vitamin d (by quite a lot) and started taking supplements. However, I do wish it was easier to get medical tests as you suggest without a doctors orders.
Post reply on HN