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Sixty seconds on . . . vitamin D

BMJ 2020; 371 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m3872 (Published 05 October 2020) Cite this as: BMJ 2020;371:m3872

Rapid Response:

Vitamin D and covid-19: enough evidence to recommend supplements

Dear Editor,

There are now close to 30 or so studies demonstrating that having optimal blood levels of 25(OH)-vitamin D (75-150 nmol/L) reduces covid-19 risks: reduced risk of infection; reduced risk of severe disease; reduced risk of dying. Many researchers now regard the evidence as ‘overwhelming’. Despite this, there still will be those who say that we need ‘more research’, but in the meantime, there is little to be lost (vitamin D supplements are inexpensive and have low risk of toxicity) and a huge amount to gain by recommending a decent daily dose of vitamin D3 (say 1-2,000 IU for children and 4-5,000 IU for adults).

Competing interests: No competing interests

05 October 2020
Peter J Lewis
GP with special interest in integrative medicine
1a Cross Street, Brookvale, NSW 2100, Australia