Vitamin D supplements: Good against Covid-19, but we don't know how good

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Thursday, April 30, 2020 -- While continuing to chase news stories, and imagining a sunny and seasonably warm weekend, Chronicle senior editor John Evans builds on items the Daily CurveFlattener covered last week.

My colleague Dhiren Mahiban reported last Friday that the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) recommended that individuals staying indoors for long periods in adherence to shelter-in-place directives take Vitamin D supplements, to ensure good bone and muscle health.

BAD noted there is no current evidence that the vitamin can prevent Covid-19 infections. However, some data suggests that vitamin D deficiency may make a course of the disease harder, and studies have been started examining whether supplementing can make a difference in outcomes for people who have Covid-19.

In a paper published in SSRN (March 30, 2020), researchers from Syracuse University note that Covid-19 mortality seems to be related to latitude, with the low-latitude nations that do not fit this pattern also having historical patterns of vitamin D deficiency. While they say this evidence alone is not strong, it should encourage a deeper look into vitamin D and Covid-19 mortality.

A group in France has already registered a multi-centre clinical trial to see if high-dose vitamin D supplements can reduce mortality in high-risk patients with a confirmed diagnosis of Covid-19. I'll continue to monitor findings from this study and others like it.


COVID CHRONICLE 04/30/2020

• A report from China's Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention looked at the epidemiology and transmission of Covid-19 in 391 cases and 1286 of their close contacts identified between Jan. 14 to Feb. 12, 2020. The authors say their data confirm that isolation and contact tracing reduce the time during which cases are infectious in the community, thereby reducing the spread of the infection. However, they note that the overall impact of isolation and contact tracing is highly dependent on the number of asymptomatic cases. They also note that in their sample, children were at a similar risk of infection to the general population, although less likely to have severe symptoms. 
• Researchers from Spain report that differences in tobacco use between men and women in that country may be contributing to sex differences in Covid-19 mortality.
• Jacqueline Gollan, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Asher Center for the Study and Treatment of Depressive Disorders at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, explains in a Q&A session that 'caution fatigue' could make it more difficult for individuals to be as diligent about Covid-19 safety precautions -- hand washing, social distancing, wearing masks -- as time goes on. She offers recommendations on how people can combat this fatigue.

STORIES CHRONICLE IS WORKING ON TODAY

Dhiren has just wrapped up a news article on research that use of certain cosmetic products by pregnant women may have an impact on their child's weight development.

RIGHT NOW I AM LISTENING TO. . .

One Mint Julep, by Ray Charles. I usually associate Charles with the piano, but the master sets the Hammond organ on fire in this R&B piece.

LATER WE WILL BE WATCHING. . . 

Uranium: Twisting the Dragon's Tail. This documentary about the history of nuclear power comes highly recommended to me a documentary-connoisseur friend.

TONIGHT WE ARE COOKING. . .
Chef gets a day off today. Tonight I'm ordering Mexican take-out from a small local chain. It is Taco Thursday, folks! I just need to choose between the campechanos and the tinga de pollo. Let me know if you have a recommendation, please.

HOW ARE YOU?

Please make use of the comments section at the Daily CurveFlattener, to let us know what you're up to today. Or feel free to check in via LinkedIn, email, or your choice of connector. Share this newsletter with your colleagues.

That's all for now. Stay in touch, and stay safe.