Vitamin D supplementation and COVID-19: expert consensus and guidelines

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Immunology
• Infectious Diseases
• Public Health

Background:

• SARS-CoV-2 has caused a global pandemic with high mortality.
• Effective treatments and vaccines for COVID-19 are limited.
• Repurposing existing drugs offers a promising strategy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate vitamin D as a potential therapeutic agent against COVID-19.
• To highlight the role of vitamin D in preventing respiratory infections.
• To propose simple vitamin D supplementation regimens for the French population.

Main Methods:

• Review of randomized clinical trials on vitamin D and respiratory infections.
• Analysis of evidence linking vitamin D deficiency (hypovitaminosis D) to COVID-19 severity.
• Development of practical supplementation guidelines based on available pharmaceutical forms in France.

Main Results:

• Vitamin D supplementation significantly lowers the risk of respiratory infections.
• Hypovitaminosis D is an independent risk factor for severe COVID-19 and mortality.
• Vitamin D deficiency affects 40-50% of the French population and over 80% of COVID-19 patients.

Conclusions:

• Vitamin D supplementation is a simple, safe, and cost-effective intervention.
• Correcting hypovitaminosis D may mitigate COVID-19 severity.
• Proposed regimens provide practical guidance for vitamin D supplementation in adults.