Vitamin D could be a piece of COVID-19’s ‘complex puzzle,’ Israeli scientists say, after a new study finds a link between deficiency and severe illness

Israeli scientists said they found “striking” differences in the chances of getting seriously ill from COVID-19 when they compared patients who had sufficient vitamin D levels prior to contracting the disease with those who didn’t.

A study published on Thursday in the research journal PLOS One found that about half of people who were
vitamin D
deficient before getting COVID-19 developed severe illness, compared to less than 10% of people who had sufficient levels of the vitamin in their blood.

We know vitamin D is vital for bone health, but its role in protecting against severe COVID-19 is less well established.

The latest research was the first to examine vitamin D levels in people prior to them contracting COVID-19, the study authors said.

Dr. Amiel Dror, a study author and physician at the Galilee Medical Center, said of the findings, “We found it remarkable, and striking, to see the difference in the chances of becoming a severe patient when you are lacking in vitamin D compared to when you’re not,” The Times of Israel reported.