Israeli researchers have found that a deficiency of a particular vitamin may increase the likelihood of developing a more serious illness.

According to a research published in PLOS One, approximately half of patients who were deficient in vitamin D before contracting Covid-19 experienced a serious illness, compared to fewer than 10% of those who had enough vitamin D in their blood.

Vitamin D is found to be crucial not only for bone health but also for its ability to protect us from the dangerous Covid-19 virus.

The Israeli study is the first to look into the link between pre-disease vitamin levels and the development of the disorder following a coronavirus infection.

The researchers looked at 1,176 individuals who were admitted to the hospital between April 7, 2020, and February 4, 2021, just before the Omicron mutation appeared.

Patients with vitamin D deficiency (less than 20 ng/mL) were 14 times more likely than those with more than 40 ng/mL to have a severe or critical case of COVID.

Surprisingly, patients with adequate vitamin D levels had a death rate of 2.3 percent, compared to 25.6 percent in the vitamin D deficient group.

Vitamin D supplementation improved immunity to respiratory tract infections caused by a wide range of different pathogens, including the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

“Our results suggest that it is advisable to maintain normal levels of vitamin D. This will be beneficial to those who contract the virus,” says Dr. Amiel Dror who led the study. “There is a clear consensus for vitamin D supplementation on a regular basis as advised by local health authorities as well as global health organizations.”

The current study’s findings are similar to those of another similar study published in The Lancet before the Covid-19 pandemic, which revealed that vitamin D lowered the incidence of respiratory infections when compared to placebo.

Vitamin D is produced by the human body when exposed to sunshine, but small amounts can also be found in fatty fish, mushrooms, egg yolks, and, of course, nutritional supplements.

When the level of vitamin D in the blood goes below 20 nanograms per milliliter, it is deemed deficient.

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