COVID-19 pandemic and vitamin D: rising trends in status and in daily amounts of vitamin D provided by supplements
Objectives Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, there have been plausible suggestions about the need to augment vitamin D intake by supplementation in order to prevent SARS-CoV2 infection and reduce mortality. Some groups have advocated supplementation for all adults, but governmental a...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2022-08-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/8/e059477.full |
| _version_ | 1811315022548172800 |
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| author | Patrick J Twomey Malachi J McKenna Rachel K Crowley Oonagh C Lyons Mary AT Flynn Mark T Kilbane |
| author_facet | Patrick J Twomey Malachi J McKenna Rachel K Crowley Oonagh C Lyons Mary AT Flynn Mark T Kilbane |
| author_sort | Patrick J Twomey |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, there have been plausible suggestions about the need to augment vitamin D intake by supplementation in order to prevent SARS-CoV2 infection and reduce mortality. Some groups have advocated supplementation for all adults, but governmental agencies have advocated targeted supplementation. We sought to explore the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on both vitamin D status and on the dose of new-to-market vitamin D supplements.Setting University hospital, Dublin, Ireland.Participants Laboratory-based samples of circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) (n=100 505).Primary and secondary outcome measures Primary outcomes: comparing yearly average 25OHD prior to the pandemic (April 2019 to March 2020) with during the pandemic (April 2020 to March 2021) and comparing the dose of new-to-market vitamin D supplements between 2017 and 2021 (n=2689). Secondary outcome: comparing prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and vitamin D excess during the two time periods.Results The average yearly serum 25OHD measurement increased by 2.8 nmol/L (61.4, 95% CI 61.5 to 61.7 vs 58.6, 95% CI 58.4 to 58.9, p<0.001), which was almost threefold higher than two similar trend analyses that we conducted between 1993 and 2016. There was a lower prevalence of low 25OHD and a higher prevalence of high 25OHD. The dose of new-to-market vitamin D supplements was higher in the years 2020–2021 compared with the years 2017–2019 (p<0.001).Conclusions We showed significant increases in serum 25OHD and in the dose of new-to-market vitamin D supplements. The frequency of low vitamin D status reduced indicating benefit, but the frequency of vitamin D excess increased indicating risk of harm. Rather than a blanket recommendation about vitamin D supplementation for all adults, we recommend a targeted approach of supplementation within current governmental guidelines to at-risk groups and cautioning consumers about adverse effects of high dose supplements on the market. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T11:22:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2465aa3ee3ec4e47add4c8124339b89c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T11:22:47Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-2465aa3ee3ec4e47add4c8124339b89c2022-12-22T02:48:46ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552022-08-0112810.1136/bmjopen-2021-059477COVID-19 pandemic and vitamin D: rising trends in status and in daily amounts of vitamin D provided by supplementsPatrick J Twomey0Malachi J McKenna1Rachel K Crowley2Oonagh C Lyons3Mary AT Flynn4Mark T Kilbane5consultant13 University College Dublin, Dublin, IrelandDepartment of Endocrinology, St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, IrelandNutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, UKNutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health, School of Biomedical Sciences, Ulster University, Coleraine, UKDepartment of Clinical Chemistry, St Vincent`s University Hospital, and UCD School of Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, IrelandObjectives Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, there have been plausible suggestions about the need to augment vitamin D intake by supplementation in order to prevent SARS-CoV2 infection and reduce mortality. Some groups have advocated supplementation for all adults, but governmental agencies have advocated targeted supplementation. We sought to explore the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on both vitamin D status and on the dose of new-to-market vitamin D supplements.Setting University hospital, Dublin, Ireland.Participants Laboratory-based samples of circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) (n=100 505).Primary and secondary outcome measures Primary outcomes: comparing yearly average 25OHD prior to the pandemic (April 2019 to March 2020) with during the pandemic (April 2020 to March 2021) and comparing the dose of new-to-market vitamin D supplements between 2017 and 2021 (n=2689). Secondary outcome: comparing prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and vitamin D excess during the two time periods.Results The average yearly serum 25OHD measurement increased by 2.8 nmol/L (61.4, 95% CI 61.5 to 61.7 vs 58.6, 95% CI 58.4 to 58.9, p<0.001), which was almost threefold higher than two similar trend analyses that we conducted between 1993 and 2016. There was a lower prevalence of low 25OHD and a higher prevalence of high 25OHD. The dose of new-to-market vitamin D supplements was higher in the years 2020–2021 compared with the years 2017–2019 (p<0.001).Conclusions We showed significant increases in serum 25OHD and in the dose of new-to-market vitamin D supplements. The frequency of low vitamin D status reduced indicating benefit, but the frequency of vitamin D excess increased indicating risk of harm. Rather than a blanket recommendation about vitamin D supplementation for all adults, we recommend a targeted approach of supplementation within current governmental guidelines to at-risk groups and cautioning consumers about adverse effects of high dose supplements on the market.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/8/e059477.full |
| spellingShingle | Patrick J Twomey Malachi J McKenna Rachel K Crowley Oonagh C Lyons Mary AT Flynn Mark T Kilbane COVID-19 pandemic and vitamin D: rising trends in status and in daily amounts of vitamin D provided by supplements BMJ Open |
| title | COVID-19 pandemic and vitamin D: rising trends in status and in daily amounts of vitamin D provided by supplements |
| title_full | COVID-19 pandemic and vitamin D: rising trends in status and in daily amounts of vitamin D provided by supplements |
| title_fullStr | COVID-19 pandemic and vitamin D: rising trends in status and in daily amounts of vitamin D provided by supplements |
| title_full_unstemmed | COVID-19 pandemic and vitamin D: rising trends in status and in daily amounts of vitamin D provided by supplements |
| title_short | COVID-19 pandemic and vitamin D: rising trends in status and in daily amounts of vitamin D provided by supplements |
| title_sort | covid 19 pandemic and vitamin d rising trends in status and in daily amounts of vitamin d provided by supplements |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/12/8/e059477.full |
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