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Taking vitamin D to combat the coronavirus pandemic

Scientists from the University of Turin recommend taking vitamin D to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The study by the professors of Geriatrics, Giancarlo Isaia and Histology, Enzo Medico, was presented to the members of the Turin Academy of Medicine, who considered the first results as “very interesting”.

The document looks at the possible causes of Covid-19 infection and proposes that vitamin D is certainly not a cure, but rather a tool to reduce risk factors.

The first preliminary data collected these days in Turin, one of the cities with the most cases of positive coronavirus in the world, indicate that patients hospitalized for COVID-19 have a very high prevalence of hypovitaminosis D.

One of the main benefits of vitamin D for the body is to promote the regulation of calcium and phosphorous levels. In turn, its deficiency is associated with an increased risk of different life-threatening diseases. However, the returns do not end there, as it can protect against colds, flu and other respiratory infections, as stated by a study that reopens the debate on the usefulness of nutritional supplements.

An investigation of 25 clinical trials conducted in 14 countries, some of which gave conflicting results, found “the first definitive proof” of the relationship between vitamin D and influenza prevention, researchers in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) said. ).

General preventive measures, adequate levels of vitamin D must be ensured in the population, especially in patients who are already infected, in their families, in health personnel, in the frail elderly, in the guests of social care residences, in people in isolation or quarantine and in all those who for various reasons are not adequately exposed to sunlight. “

The role of vitamin D and how to get it

The role of vitamin D in bone and immune health has been known for years. It favors the absorption of calcium in the intestine and is used for many biological processes. Furthermore, this micronutrient is necessary for the growth and development of bones in children.

It also helps, along with calcium, to reduce the loss of bone mineralization in postmenopausal women. Finally, vitamin D is also involved in other biological functions. Muscles, the immune system, phosphorus metabolism and teeth are some of its targets.

The skin produces this micronutrient thanks to the UVB rays of the sun, but we can also obtain it through food. In both cases, in order to function properly in the body, it must first undergo a few touches on the liver and kidney. Among the few foods that contain vitamin D we find liver, eggs or blue fish. However, the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition recommends avoiding or limiting the consumption of large fish with high mercury content, including swordfish, bluefin tuna, shark and pike.

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