A new research study at the University of Chicago Medicine has found that when it comes to COVID-19, having vitamin D levels above those traditionally considered sufficient may lower the risk of infection.
The study retrospectively examined the relationship between vitamin D levels and likelihood of testing positive for COVID-19.
While levels of 30 ng/ml or more are usually considered “sufficient,” the researchers found that Black individuals who had levels of 30 to 40 ng/ml had a 2.64 times higher risk of testing positive for COVID-19 than people with levels of 40 ng/ml or greater.
Statistically significant associations of vitamin D levels with COVID-19 risk were not found in white people.
The study looked at data from over 3,000 patients at UChicago Medicine who had had their vitamin D levels tested within 14 days before a COVID-19 test.
The research team is now recruiting participants for two separate clinical trials testing the efficacy of vitamin D supplements for preventing COVID-19.
“These new results tell us that having vitamin D levels above those normally considered sufficient is associated with decreased risk of testing positive for COVID-19, at least in Black individuals,” said David Meltzer, MD, PhD, Chief of Hospital Medicine at UChicago Medicine and lead author of the study.
Source: UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO MEDICAL CENTER, USA.