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

mdpi.com

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

#291

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also - big tech is coming out against vitamin supplementation with their creepy censorship: Example of YouTube saying they will ban vit. c videos using the "misinformation" label: https://twitter.com/i/status/1252676099169038337 Vit. c is known to be a potent immune booster. So this is a real head scratcher.

There's no such thing as an "immune booster". The immune system is incredibly complex and nuanced, and there isn't a knob (or 10) that you can tweak to turn it up or down. It exists in a continuum of largely understood configurations, and it can learn and adapt (not always with good results). If anything, "boosting" it as in turning up immune activity is usually terrible (think auto-immune disorders, inflammation, ca…

> There's no such thing as an "immune booster".

Yes, there is. You could have done a quick search on Google Scholar to confirm this, example:

A mathematical model showing the potential of vitamin c to boost the innate immune response

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Anuraag_Bukkuri/publica...

Vitamins: Key Role Players in Boosting Up Immune Response-A Mini Review

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jazib_Irfan/publication...

Use of vitamin C as an immunostimulant. Effect on growth, nutritional quality, and immune response of Labeo rohita (Ham.)

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10695-007-9184-...

> the "misinformation" people are battling is about a) unsubstantiated health claims

That "substantiation" requires a $2 billion payout to the FDA to certify.

> the fact that supplement manufacturers don't need to provide any evidence or follow any regulations regarding what's actually in the supplements.

Obviously you have no idea what you are talking about.

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

#292
post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It reminds people that the world is not the US. 30+ comments above and nobody pointed out the unspoken assumption.

The OP mentioned the doctor firewall. I don’t live in the US and have the same firewall. It’s not a uniquely American issue.

...and in many other places there isn't.

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

#293

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Furthermore, this article by two Australian academics, published in an outlet considered leftist, is basically about why Australians have such high rates of skin cancer, and includes the quote: Why us? Most Australians (and Kiwis) have the wrong type of skin for their environment. Basically, through migration, our two countries have been populated by many people with fair skin whose ancestors come from much less sunn…

The difference is that it's a shift in perspective. It's acceptable to say that white people aren't suited to live in Australia. It's not acceptable to say that black people aren't suited to live in the UK, for example.

The same website the OP links to, which is an Australian site, has a page that includes the text, "Vitamin D deficiency may be a greater health concern for people with naturally very dark skin, as it is more difficult for people with this skin type to make vitamin D.".

It's unclear why an Australian site would be going into the question of who is "suited to" live in the UK.

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

#294

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why do you say this? Almost half of Americans are vitamin D deficient, a lot more if you are Black or Hispanic: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-d-deficiency-sy... Vitamin D is very cheap, and it takes a lot to overdose: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-h... Up until a very short time ago, humans spent most of their time outside, and sunscreen did not exist. Now we spend nearly a…

My problem with this line of reasoning is that people without the relevant expertise will think it means "Vitamin D supplementation protects me from COVID-19," start taking the vitamin, and stop engaging in other behaviors that reduce their risk of exposure, like social distancing and mask wearing. I see this in infosec all the time. People think, for example, "I'm running antivirus software; I'm safe," which they'll…

> hang out with their buddies in the sunshine or something equally risky

Spending time with people outdoors, especially in sunshine, is not risky, and for regions with serious outbreaks is an ideal way of finding compromise between keeping people isolated when indoors and allowing people some much needed social interaction.

I'm from Melbourne Australia which is just coming out of one of the longest/strictest lockdowns in the world, and all the evidence has been that letting people have some social interaction in the outdoors is beneficial to people's mental health and not a contributor to viral spread.

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

#295
post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s just a correlation. No need to take vitamin d.

Why do you say this? Almost half of Americans are vitamin D deficient, a lot more if you are Black or Hispanic: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/vitamin-d-deficiency-sy... Vitamin D is very cheap, and it takes a lot to overdose: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-h... Up until a very short time ago, humans spent most of their time outside, and sunscreen did not exist. Now we spend nearly a…

Primarily one should have sufficient levels of vitamin D for a host of other reasons anyway.. If it helps protect against COVID that is a bonus.

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

#296
post #110

My doctor put me on a daily 2000 IU vitamin D supplement years ago for unrelated reasons. I feel lucky now. I never did ask him what he expected the vitamin D to do for me.

the new studies show that 2000 IU is very low for active adult person it should be more like 6-8000 IU, the recommended values by conservative studies won't even diminish vitamin D deficiency let alone bring benefits of having extra levels

study

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5541280/

Thanks for downvoting!

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

#297
post #276

When the third supportive pre-print paper was released in late April I started my elderly mother on a D3 supplement. As more papers came out in May I started my whole family on it. I read up on dosing and it's pretty hard to overdose unless megadosing over a sustained period of time and negative reactions/interactions are rare. We've been supplementing ~5k to 10k IU daily (total, incl any multi-vitamins) depending on…

I got COVID, and I attribute the fact that I happened to get a fairly mild case of it to the fact I've been taking 10k IU of vitamin D3 since January.

not saying you are wrong, but the vast majority of covid infections are either mild or completely asymptomatic

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

#298
post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The parent comment here said publicise, not publish. The studies will go ahead, but you won't see the mainstream media putting this on the front page. The reason is that it's too sensitive. Look at the massive argument and tension that was generated just from someone pointing out that certain skin types are not suited to certain environments (melanin skin to north europe, non-melanin skin to australia) - nobody who v…

You won't see the mainstream media publicize any non-vaccine solution because they're in the business of fear-mongering and because they have a chummy relationship with big pharma.

Plenty of mainstream media has reported about the Vitamin D findings.

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

#299

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The difference is that it's a shift in perspective. It's acceptable to say that white people aren't suited to live in Australia. It's not acceptable to say that black people aren't suited to live in the UK, for example.

The same website the OP links to, which is an Australian site, has a page that includes the text, "Vitamin D deficiency may be a greater health concern for people with naturally very dark skin, as it is more difficult for people with this skin type to make vitamin D.". It's unclear why an Australian site would be going into the question of who is "suited to" live in the UK.

My point is that the Australian perspective on the matter invites no controversy.

The indigenous population of Australia is dark-skinned and has access to all the sun it needs in order to stay Vitamin-D sufficient.

Coincidentally, the COVID-19 mortality rates in Australia are low as well, though some might prefer to chalk that up to the strict lockdowns.

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

#300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My problem with this line of reasoning is that people without the relevant expertise will think it means "Vitamin D supplementation protects me from COVID-19," start taking the vitamin, and stop engaging in other behaviors that reduce their risk of exposure, like social distancing and mask wearing. I see this in infosec all the time. People think, for example, "I'm running antivirus software; I'm safe," which they'll…

> hang out with their buddies in the sunshine or something equally risky Spending time with people outdoors, especially in sunshine, is not risky, and for regions with serious outbreaks is an ideal way of finding compromise between keeping people isolated when indoors and allowing people some much needed social interaction. I'm from Melbourne Australia which is just coming out of one of the longest/strictest lockdown…

Q.E.D.
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