- A new publication from School of Medicine, in collaboration with the University of Liverpool, highlights the association between vitamin D levels and mortality from COVID-19.
- Vitamin D is produced in the skin from UVB sunlight exposure.
- This study shows that, counter intuitively, countries at lower latitude and typically sunny countries, such as Spain and Northern Italy, have high rates of vitamin D deficiency. These countries also experienced the highest infection and death rates in Europe.
- The northern latitude countries of Norway, Finland and Sweden, have higher vitamin D levels despite less UVB sunlight exposure, because supplementation and fortification of foods is more common. These countries have lower COVID-19 infection and death rates.
- This impact of the vitamin on Covid-19 may be because vitamin D is important in regulation and suppression of the inflammatory cytokine response, which causes the severe consequences from the virus.
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