Proper amounts of sun exposure allow your body to optimize production of vitamin D and melatonin. One really important health benefit you can only get from sunlight and not oral supplementation is mitochondrial melatonin production.
STORY AT-A-GLANCE Since December 2021, four large systematic meta-analyses have been published, looking at either vitamin D levels, supplementation or both. In all cases, the data consistently show that low vitamin D levels raise your risk of COVID while higher baseline levels and/or supplementation lowers all risks by 1.5 to three times
In the first of these four meta-analyses, the odds of developing COVID-19 among those with deficient or insufficient vitamin D levels were 1.46 times higher than those with sufficient vitamin D. Their risk of severe disease was also 1.9 times higher, and their risk of death 2.07 times higher
In the second study, the odds of ICU admission based on vitamin D status were 2.63 times higher among those with severe vitamin D deficiency, 2.16 times higher among those with deficiency, and 2.83 times higher among those with insufficient levels. Mortality was also much higher in all patients with low levels
In the third analysis, only 12.19% of COVID patients who received vitamin D required ICU admission, compared to 26.27% of those who did not get vitamin D
The fourth and most recent analysis found “significant associations of vitamin D supplementation with COVID-19, encompassing risks of disease worsening and mortality,” especially in seasons characterized by vitamin D deficiency and in patients with mild to moderate infection At this point, there is simply no question that vitamin D optimization is a crucial component of COVID-19 prevention and treatment. In addition to the many studies published during 2020 and 2021, since December 2021, four large systematic meta-analyses1,2 have been published, looking at either vitamin D levels, supplementation or both….