Day: December 1, 2022

• Researchers from Johns Hopkins University, the University of Chicago and the Department of Veterans Health Affairs conducted a large-scale pharmacoepidemiologic study of the association between vitamin D and COVID-19 infection and mortality

• Those who took vitamin D2 supplements had a 28% lower risk of COVID-19 infection, while those taking vitamin D3 had a 20% lower risk

• Death from COVID-19 was also lower among those taking vitamin D — 33% lower among those taking vitamin D3 and 25% lower among those taking vitamin D2

• If the entire U.S. population in 2020 had supplemented with vitamin D3, it would have prevented 4 million COVID-19 cases and 116,000 deaths

• I strongly recommend getting your vitamin D from proper sun exposure if possible, as it will provide numerous other benefits, many of which are only beginning to be understood

Optimizing your vitamin D level is a foundational element to lower your risk of COVID-19. This simple step will also help you ward off many types of viral infections, because vitamin D is an immunomodulatory agent.

This point — that vitamin D helps combat COVID-19 — was widely censored and deemed “misinformation” during the pandemic. But yet another study — this one published in Scientific Reports1 — shows the association between vitamin D and COVID-19 protection cannot be ignored.

About half the U.S. population has deficient levels of vitamin D, and rates of vitamin D deficiency are even higher in people with darker skin, those living in higher latitudes in the winter, nursing home residents and people with reduced sun exposure. Among groups with low levels of vitamin D, rates of COVID-19 are higher.2

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University, the University of Chicago and the Department of Veterans Health Affairs conducted a large-scale pharmacoepidemiologic study of the association between vitamin D3 and D2 supplementation and the probability of COVID-19 infection and mortality.3

“Vitamin D deficiency has long been associated with reduced immune function that can lead to viral infection. Several studies have shown that vitamin D deficiency … increases the risk of infection with COVID-19,” they wrote.4

In the video above, John Campbell, a retired nurse and teacher based in England, detailed the findings. The study involved a large population of veterans, including 220,265 patients supplemented with vitamin D3 before and during the pandemic, 34,710 supplemented with vitamin D2 and 407,860 untreated patients.5

Those who took vitamin D2 supplements had a 28% lower risk of COVID-19 infection, while those taking vitamin D3 had a 20% lower risk. Please note that vitamin D2 is a plant-based version of vitamin D and I do not recommend it. Death from COVID-19 was also lower among those taking vitamin D — 33% lower among those taking vitamin D3 and 25% lower among those taking vitamin D2.6

“These associated reductions in risk are substantial and justify more significant exploration and confirmation using RCTs [randomized controlled trials],” the researchers explained. “This is particularly important given the high rates of vitamin D deficiency in the U.S. population and COVID-19.”7

The veterans were taking varying doses of vitamin D, ranging from 20 IU which is absolutely worthless and no different than placebo, to 50,000 IU. Usually 50 IU doses are given once a week. I am convinced this is inferior to taking 8,000 IU every day.

However, those taking higher doses received greater benefits than those taking lower dosages. Further, veterans with very low vitamin D levels (between zero and 19 ng/ml) had the largest decrease in COVID-19 infection after supplementation.8

“In response to these findings, physicians might consider regularly prescribing vitamin D3 to patients with deficient levels to protect them against COVID-19 infection and related mortality. The 50,000 IU dosage may be especially beneficial,” according to the study.9

Black veterans also had greater reductions in COVID-19 risk (29% decrease) following supplementation than white veterans (18% decrease).10 “As a safe, widely available and affordable treatment, vitamin D may help to reduce the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic,” the researchers concluded.11

When the researchers extrapolated their vitamin D findings to the entire U.S. population in 2020, they found supplementation with vitamin D3 would have prevented 4 million COVID-19 cases and 116,000 deaths.12

Even applying the data to the Department of Veterans Administration, which had 343,094 COVID-19 cases and 14,981 deaths through October 2, 2021, vitamin D supplementation would have resulted in 69,000 fewer COVID-19 cases and 4,900 fewer deaths from March 2020 to October 2021.

Further, “These back-of-the-envelope calculations may be conservative given possible reductions in COVID-19 transmission due to the general population risk reduction from broader supplementation,” according to the researchers. “Given our findings, the absence of severe side effects, and the widespread availability of vitamin D3 at low cost, vitamin D3 presents a unique opportunity to reduce the spread and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic.”13

Being aware of your vitamin D levels, and increasing your levels if you’re deficient, is one of the simplest steps you can take to stay well. Vitamin D receptors are present in nearly all cells of the human immune system, including monocytes/macrophages, T cells, B cells, natural killer cells, dendritic cells.

Vitamin D has multiple actions on the immune system, including enhancing the production of antimicrobial peptides by immune cells, reducing damaging pro-inflammatory cytokines and promoting the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines.14 This has multiple benefits for avoiding infections. In terms of COVID-19:

• One study of 489 patients found those with vitamin D deficiency had a 77% increased risk of COVID-19 infection.15

• People with low vitamin D levels had a 59% increased risk of severe COVID-19 infection.16 17

• Those with low vitamin D had a 45% increase in COVID-19 infection and a 95% increase in hospitalizations.18 19

• A 53% increase in COVID-19 infection rates was found among people with vitamin D deficiency (< 20 ng/mL) compared to those with levels of 55 ng/ml or higher.20 21

It’s clear that people with higher levels of vitamin D are also less likely to die from COVID-19 — and one study suggested that, theoretically, “a mortality rate close to zero” could be achieved if your vitamin D level reaches 50 ng/ml.22

The study authors believe that low vitamin D levels are not a “side effect” of COVID-19 but rather are a predictor of infection. As vitamin D plays a role in immune function, the epidemic of vitamin D deficiency is increasing the spread of many “diseases of civilization,” they note in the journal Nutrients, such as heart disease,23 along with reducing protection against infections:24

“One strong pillar in the protection against any type of virus infection is the strength of our immune system. Unfortunately, thus far, this unquestioned basic principle of nature has been more or less neglected by the responsible authorities.

It is well known that our modern lifestyle is far from optimal with respect to nutrition, physical fitness, and recreation. In particular, many people are not spending enough time outside in the sun, even in summer.

The consequence is widespread vitamin D deficiency, which limits the performance of their immune systems, resulting in the increased spread of some preventable diseases of civilization, reduced protection against infections, and reduced effectiveness of vaccination.”

Deficiency of vitamin D3 is also “one of the main reasons for severe courses of SARS-CoV-2 infections,” they explained, pointing out that fatality rates tend to be elevated in populations with very low vitamin D3 levels, including elderly people, black people and people with comorbidities.25

At the end of October 2020, I also published my own vitamin D review in the peer-reviewed journal Nutrients,26 co-written with William Grant, Ph.D., and Dr. Carol Wagner with the GrassrootsHealth expert vitamin D panel. At that time, 14 observational studies offered evidence that vitamin D levels are inversely correlated with the incidence or severity of COVID-19.

As noted in our paper, dark skin color, increased age, preexisting chronic conditions and vitamin D deficiency are all features of severe COVID disease and, of these, vitamin D deficiency is the only factor that is readily and easily modifiable.

Optimizing your vitamin D levels isn’t only about preventing COVID-19; it supports health in multiple ways. It’s been shown that people genetically predisposed to vitamin D deficiency were 25% more likely to die from any cause compared to those with different genetics conducive to healthy vitamin D levels.27

The data came from researchers with the Australian Center for Precision Health at the University of South Australia, who also revealed that vitamin D deficiency driven by genetics increases the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease, respiratory diseases and cancer.28 A deficiency in vitamin D has also been implicated in such problems as multiple sclerosis29 and Parkinson’s disease.30

I’ve long recommended a vitamin D level of 40 to 60 ng/ml for optimal health and disease prevention. However, higher levels of 60 to 80 ng/ml may be even better — a level upward of 100 ng/mL also appears safe and beneficial for certain conditions, especially cancer.

I strongly recommend getting your vitamin D from proper sun exposure if at all possible. This is because not only will adequate sun exposure naturally raise your vitamin D levels to healthy levels, but it will provide numerous other benefits, many of which are only beginning to be understood.

It’s quite possible that having higher levels of vitamin D serves as a marker for healthy sun exposure, which in turn may be responsible for many of the beneficial health effects attributed to vitamin D — including increased longevity and lower cancer risk.

Many people are not aware that only 5% of your body’s melatonin — a potent anticancer agent — is produced in your pineal gland. The other 95% is produced inside your mitochondria — provided you get proper sun exposure. So vitamin D is more than likely a biomarker or surrogate for sun exposure, which is intricately involved in melatonin production.31 However, if you’re unable to get adequate sun exposure each day, supplementation may be necessary.

The only way to determine how much sun exposure is enough and/or how much vitamin D3 you need to take is to measure your vitamin D level, ideally twice a year. The D*Action Project by GrassrootsHealth is a cost-effective way to do this, while simultaneously progressing valuable research.

To participate, simply purchase a D*Action Measurement Kit and follow the registration instructions included. When supplementing, also remember to take synergistic effects with other nutrients into account. If you take high-dose vitamin D, you will also need to increase your intake of:

• Magnesium

• Vitamin K2

These three nutrients — vitamins D and K2, and magnesium — all work in tandem and rely on sufficient amounts of each to work optimally. Once you’ve confirmed your vitamin D levels via testing, remember to retest in three to four months to make sure you’ve reached your target level.

If you have, then you know you’re taking the correct dosage and/or getting the right amount of sun exposure. If you’re still low (or have reached a level above 80 ng/ml), you’ll need to adjust your dosage accordingly and retest again in another three to four months.

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Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked.

The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. The subscription fee being requested is for access to the articles and information posted on this site, and is not being paid for any individual medical advice.

If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your health care professional before using products based on this content.

• Vitamin C is an essential water-soluble nutrient that evidence shows helps protect fat-soluble vitamin E in individuals with cystic fibrosis, an inflammatory condition that affects the lungs and gastrointestinal tract

• Researchers believe the data can be extrapolated to other inflammatory conditions as vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant, helps to protect your skin from sun-related damage and vitamin E-rich foods may help protect against some types of cancers

• Vitamin C is a crucial component in the treatment of sepsis developed by Dr. Paul Marik that lowered the risk of mortality from 40.4% to 8.5% in one study and has demonstrated effectiveness in pediatric sepsis

• Chronic inflammation can contribute to the development of cancer. Early studies demonstrated vitamin C could be a candidate for cancer treatment and to help ameliorate symptoms

• National Cancer Institute believes current preclinical studies support the implementation of vitamin C in treatment as it may help lower the cost to patients and improve symptoms

Vitamin C is an essential water-soluble nutrient that’s also known as ascorbic acid. The body uses it as an antioxidant to protect against damage caused by free radicals or reactive oxygen species (ROS). A study1 published in Nutrients revealed that the administration of vitamin C could also help against oxidative stress by protecting the body’s vitamin E stores and promoting utilization.

Most mammals can synthesize their own vitamin C, but humans must get it from their diet. According to Oregon State University,2 it is an essential factor in many enzyme reactions, and several cohort studies have shown that it’s associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular conditions such as stroke, high blood pressure and coronary heart disease.

Studies have suggested that vitamin C may be used alongside other conventional medical treatments to lower the risk of heart injury after cardiac procedures and regular use of a vitamin C supplement can shorten the length of the common cold. Although taking large amounts of vitamin C has not produced any significant toxic effect, one side effect of taking large doses is diarrhea.

A severe deficiency causes a potentially fatal disease called scurvy. Vitamin C was not isolated until the 1930s, but the British Navy began carrying oranges and lemons on board ships to prevent scurvy starting in the 1700s. The current recommended dietary allowance (RDA) is based on the amount needed to maintain minimal vitamin C concentration and prevent scurvy.

Dr. Linus Pauling was the first to identify the importance of vitamin C to human health and today researchers continue to identify a variety of pathways through which vitamin C makes a significant impact on disease prevention and treatment. The 2022 study3 published in Nutrients sought to determine how vitamin C may help individuals with cystic fibrosis.

To date, there are more than 160,000 people worldwide who have cystic fibrosis (CF). This is a genetic condition that is characterized by inflammation of the lungs and airway-blocking mucus buildup. Maret Traber of OSU’s Linus Pauling Institute led the study and commented in a press release, “Cystic fibrosis is a genetic disease that is associated with increased inflammation, and like many inflammatory diseases, it comes with a large amount of oxidative stress.”4

The researchers started with the knowledge that CF influences vitamin E absorption, storage, metabolism and excretion. They hypothesized that it increases the body’s use of vitamin E, which may be influenced by supplementing with vitamin C.

Patients with CF have difficulty absorbing fat and fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin E. Traber noted that lower levels of vitamin E in addition to the high oxidative stress environment of CF can increase the inflammatory response in the body.

Patients with CF require at least 400 mg of vitamin E supplemented daily, so using vitamin C to increase utilization could help recycle the oxidized form of vitamin E, and lower oxidative stress and inflammation. The researchers gave patients 1,000 mg of vitamin C daily for three and a half weeks and then measured the blood concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA), a known biomarker of oxidative stress.

The results showed that vitamin E was not eliminated as quickly when patients were supplemented with vitamin C. The researchers concluded5 that vitamin C supplementation in individuals with advanced inflammatory disease could help increase plasma vitamin E and lower the inflammatory response.

“This study used vitamin C far in excess of what someone can easily obtain from the diet,” Traber said.6 “One thousand milligrams is the equivalent of 15 oranges or four or five medium bell peppers. But the research does suggest a high dosage may be beneficial in inflammatory conditions.”

In the press release,7 the researchers noted that the benefits from these findings are not unique to individuals with CF. Health conditions where patients typically have problems associated with high levels of oxidative stress may also benefit from the supplementation of vitamin C, and potentially from extra vitamin E.

Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that acts against ROS in your body. Unfortunately, many people in the U.S. do not consume enough vitamin E-rich foods, which puts them at risk of deficiency. Vitamin E is found in nuts, seeds, spinach and broccoli.

Additionally, grass fed butter8 is a rich source of vitamin A in the most absorbable form, vitamin E, vitamin K2, antioxidants, selenium, conjugated linoleic acid, iodine in a highly absorbable form, vitamin D and more. By consuming nutritious whole foods like grass fed butter, you can lower your risk of multiple nutrient deficiencies at once.

Vitamin E plays an important role in protecting your skin from sun-related damage, especially when it’s combined with vitamin C.9 An article from Oregon State University’s Micronutrient Information Center discusses many of the functions of vitamin E in the skin and notes that “vitamin E can also absorb the energy from ultraviolet (UV) light. Thus, it plays important roles in photoprotection, preventing UV-induced free radical damage to skin.”10

Natural vitamin E includes a total of eight different compounds and having a balance of all eight helps optimize its antioxidant functions. These compounds are divided into two groups of molecules — tocopherols and tocotrienols.

Synthetic vitamin E supplements typically include only alpha-tocopherol, and research11 12 published in 2012 concluded that synthetic alpha tocopherols found in vitamin E supplements provided no discernible cancer protection while gamma and delta tocopherols found in foods do help prevent colon, lung, breast and prostate cancers. Bear in mind that a supplement will not actually tell you it’s synthetic, so you must know what to look for on the label.

Boosting your vitamin C intake also affects the inflammatory response in the body. Vitamin C is a crucial component of a treatment protocol developed by Dr. Paul Marik, a critical care doctor at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in East Virginia. The treatment protocol was developed for sepsis, which is a life-threatening condition triggered by a systemic infection that causes your body to overreact and launch an excessive and damaging immune response.

According to a 2011 paper,13 the coagulation system, which is dysfunctional in sepsis, is closely related to the inflammatory response. The communication between the two systems drives the dysregulated response that ultimately results in a very high mortality rate.

Unless sepsis is diagnosed promptly and treated appropriately, it can progress rapidly to multiple organ failure and death. This includes cases of suspected influenza14 since sepsis can mimic many of the signs and symptoms of flu. Although severe sepsis has traditionally been linked to bacterial infections, doctors are seeing more patients with severe sepsis that are caused directly by influenza viruses.

Marik’s retrospective before-after clinical study15 showed giving patients 200 mg of thiamine every 12 hours, 1,500 mg of ascorbic acid every six hours, and 50 mg of hydrocortisone every six hours for two days reduced mortality from 40.4% to 8.5%.

As importantly, the treatment has no side effects and is inexpensive, readily available and simple to administer. In other words, there’s virtually no risk involved. Research published in 202016 17 found Marik’s sepsis protocol lowered mortality in pediatric patients as well.

Utilizing vitamin C in the treatment of sepsis may help lower both mortality rate and cost. Each year an estimated 1.7 million Americans get sepsis, and nearly 270,000 of them die.18

Conventional treatment focuses on high-dose antibiotics. A U.S. government report published in 2016 noted that sepsis was the most expensive condition treated in the U.S., racking up $23.7 billion in health care costs each year.19 By 2022, that had skyrocketed to $62 billion just for treatment and care.20

Marik is also the chairman and chief scientific officer of the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC). Marik, along with Dr. Pierre Kory and other international physicians, developed protocols for the prevention, early treatment, hospital treatment and long-haul symptoms of COVID-19. The team found that vitamin C plays a significant role in the prevention and treatment of active infections.21

According to the National Cancer Institute,22 chronic inflammation can increase your risk of DNA damage and lead to cancer. Evidence23 is also growing that inflammation is a critical component of the progression of cancer and the microenvironment of cancer cells is largely orchestrated by inflammation, which fosters the proliferation and migration of neoplastic cells.

The longer the chronic inflammation goes on, the higher the risk of the development of cancer cells and tumors.24 Early studies have suggested that vitamin C could be a candidate for cancer treatment, but researchers are still unsure how cancer cells can uptake or metabolize vitamin C.25

While researchers have looked at high-dose intravenously administered vitamin C for palliative care in patients with advanced cancer,26 other literature reports that cancer patients often have a vitamin C deficiency, which is affected by the tumor or by the treatment, such as chemotherapy, radiation and surgery. Administration of IV vitamin C has ameliorated some symptoms and showed an improvement in quality of life when it’s done alone or in combination with oral vitamin C.

The treatment also appears to mitigate ROS in cancer cells without toxicity.27 One paper28 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal published in 2006 found three well-documented cases of patients who had advanced cancers and unexpected long survival times after they received high dose IV vitamin C therapy.

More recently, in a paper29 published in 2020 by the National Cancer Institute, the writers chronicled the history of vitamin C, including in cancer treatment, and noted that small clinical trials in the past did not show a clear rationale for using vitamin C, but “a growing number of preclinical studies are showing how high-dose vitamin C might benefit cancer patients.” They went on to conclude:30

“Importantly, these preclinical studies provide a clear rationale and potential biomarkers that may help personalize the therapeutic approach and identify patient populations that are likely to respond to high-dose vitamin C therapy. Since the mechanisms of action of vitamin C are becoming better defined, we can propose vitamin C combinations in a more rational, hypothesis-driven manner.

In addition, given the current high financial cost of new cancer drugs, it seems rational to improve the effectiveness of current therapies by studying their clinical interactions with vitamin C. In our view, the implementation of this treatment paradigm could provide benefits to many cancer patients.”

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Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Dr. Mercola, unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked.

The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Mercola and his community. Dr. Mercola encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. The subscription fee being requested is for access to the articles and information posted on this site, and is not being paid for any individual medical advice.

If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your health care professional before using products based on this content.

• Vitamins C and D were adopted in the conventional treatment of novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2. This fortunate turn of events is likely to save thousands of lives, while keeping health care costs down

• During the pandemic, seriously ill coronavirus patients in New York state’s largest hospital system received 1,500 milligrams of intravenous vitamin C three to four times a day, in conjunction with other conventional treatments

• Vitamin C at extremely high doses acts as an antiviral drug, actually killing viruses

• In recent articles, former CDC chief Dr. Tom Frieden and Dr. John C. Umhau, a public health specialist at NIH, highlight the usefulness of sun exposure and/or vitamin D supplementation to reduce your risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection

• Although vitamin D does not appear to have a direct effect on viruses, it does strengthen immune function, thus allowing the host body to combat the virus more effectively. It also suppresses inflammatory processes

Remember when Washington Post reporters were boldly declaring that vitamins C and D could not (and should not) be used against respiratory infections? The information I was sharing about their use was deemed so dangerous to public health that I was branded as a “fake news” site by self-appointed, pharma-owned arbiters of truth like NewsGuard.

How times have changed. After having defamatory lies published about me, vitamins C and D are now (finally) being adopted in the conventional treatment of novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

That just goes to show that when push comes to shove, the truth eventually prevails. When the medicine cabinet is empty, and doctors have limited options, suddenly the basics become viable again, and that is good news indeed, as it’s likely to save thousands of lives, while keeping health care costs down.

As reported by the New York Post, March 24, 2020:1

“Seriously sick coronavirus patients in New York state’s largest hospital system are being given massive doses of vitamin C … Dr. Andrew G. Weber, a pulmonologist and critical-care specialist affiliated with two Northwell Health facilities on Long Island, said his intensive-care patients with the coronavirus immediately receive 1,500 milligrams of intravenous vitamin C.

Identical amounts of the powerful antioxidant are then re-administered three or four times a day, he said … The regimen is based on experimental treatments administered to people with the coronavirus in Shanghai, China …

‘The patients who received vitamin C did significantly better than those who did not get vitamin C,’ he said. ‘It helps a tremendous amount, but it is not highlighted because it’s not a sexy drug’ …

Weber … said vitamin C levels in coronavirus patients drop dramatically when they suffer sepsis, an inflammatory response that occurs when their bodies overreact to the infection. ‘It makes all the sense in the world to try and maintain this level of vitamin C,’ he said.”

A Northwell Health spokesperson reportedly confirmed that vitamin C treatment was being “widely used” against coronavirus within the 23-hospital system. According to Weber, vitamin C was used in conjunction with the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin, which have also shown promise in coronavirus treatment.2

According to Dr. Ronald Hunninghake, an internationally recognized expert on vitamin C who has personally supervised tens of thousands of intravenous (IV) vitamin C administrations, vitamin C is “definitely a very underutilized modality in infectious disease,” considering “it’s really a premiere treatment” for infections.

In my interview with him, Hunninghake suggested one of the reasons why conventional medicine has been so slow to recognize the importance of vitamin C has to do with the fact that they’ve been looking at it as a mere vitamin, when in fact it’s a potent oxidizing agent that can help eliminate pathogens when given in high doses.

There are also financial factors. In short, it’s too inexpensive. Conventional medicine, as a general rule, is notoriously uninterested in solutions that cannot produce significant profits. One of the primary reasons we started seeing its use against COVID-19 is undoubtedly because at the time we had no expensive drugs in the medical arsenal that could be turned to.

In my March 17, 2020, interview with Dr. Andrew Saul, editor-in-chief of the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, he mentions being in contact with a South Korean medical doctor who was giving patients and medical staff an injection of 100,000 IUs of vitamin D along with as much as 24,000 mg (24 grams) of IV vitamin C. “He’s reporting that these people are getting well in a matter of days,” Saul says.

As explained by Saul, vitamin C at extremely high doses acts as an antiviral drug, actually killing viruses. While it does have anti-inflammatory activity, which helps prevent the massive cytokine cascade associated with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, it’s antiviral capacity likely has more to do with it being a non-rate-limited free radical scavenger. As explained by Saul in our interview:

“Cathcart’s view is that you simply push in vitamin C to provide the electrons to reduce the free radicals. This is the way Cathcart and Levy look at vitamin C’s function (at very high doses) as an antiviral.

At modest doses, normal supplemental doses … vitamin C strengthens the immune system because the white blood cells need it to work. White blood cells carry around in them a lot of vitamin C … So, vitamin C is very well-known to directly beef up the immune system through the white blood cells.”

Although the vitamin C protocol is new for COVID-19 treatment, it’s been used as a treatment for sepsis since about 2017. The vitamin C-based sepsis treatment protocol was developed by Dr. Paul Marik, a former critical care doctor at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in East Virginia, which has since adopted it as standard of care for sepsis.

Marik’s retrospective before-after clinical study3 published in 2016 showed giving patients 200 milligrams (mg) of thiamine every 12 hours, 1,500 mg of ascorbic acid every six hours, and 50 mg of hydrocortisone every six hours for two days reduced mortality from 40% to 8.5%.

Importantly, the treatment has no side effects and is inexpensive, readily available and simple to administer, so there’s virtually no risk involved. In 2009, IV vitamin C was shown to be a potentially lifesaving treatment for severe swine flu, so it’s understandable why both Chinese and American doctors hold hope for it with the coronavirus.

A clinical trial was submitted for it at ClinicalTrials.gov in early 2020,4 but the trial was terminated when the number of qualifying COVID-19 patients decreased. Other research,5 6 published online January 9, 2020, found Marik’s sepsis protocol lowered mortality in pediatric patients as well.

The study was performed at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, and as noted by Science Daily,7 the preliminary data from this study “supports the promising outcomes seen in adults.”

Back in 2003, during the SARS pandemic, a Finnish researcher called8 for an investigation into the use of vitamin C after research showed it not only protected broiler chicks against avian coronavirus, but also cut the duration and severity of common cold in humans and significantly lowered susceptibility to pneumonia. In his letter, published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Harri Hemilä wrote:9

“Recently, a new coronavirus was identified as the cause of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). In the absence of a specific treatment for SARS, the possibility that vitamin C may show nonspecific effects on several viral respiratory tract infections should be considered.

There are numerous reports indicating that vitamin C may affect the immune system, for example the function of phagocytes, transformation of T lymphocytes and production of interferon. In particular, vitamin C increased the resistance of chick embryo tracheal organ cultures to infection caused by an avian coronavirus.”10

Even before that, many studies had demonstrated the usefulness of vitamin C against infections of various kinds. For example, a randomized double-blind study11 published in 1994 found elderly patients given 200 milligrams of vitamin C per day while hospitalized for acute respiratory infection fared significantly better than those receiving a placebo.

According to the authors, “This was particularly the case for those commencing the trial most severely ill, many of whom had very low plasma and white cell vitamin C concentrations on admission.”

Another powerful component in the prevention and treatment of influenza is vitamin D. Although vitamin D does not appear to have a direct effect on the virus itself, it does strengthen immune function, thus allowing the host body to combat the virus more effectively. It also suppresses inflammatory processes. Taken together, this might make vitamin D useful against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

My claim that vitamin D can cut infection risk was publicly vindicated March 24, 2020, when former U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief Dr. Tom Frieden published an opinion piece on Fox News stating that “Coronavirus infection risk may be reduced by vitamin D.”12 In it, Frieden writes:

“There are many crackpot claims about miracle cures floating around, but the science supports the possibility — although not the proof — that Vitamin D may strengthen the immune system, particularly of people whose Vitamin D levels are low.

Vitamin D supplementation reduces the risk of respiratory infection, regulates cytokine production and can limit the risk of other viruses such as influenza.

A respiratory infection can result in cytokine storms — a vicious cycle in which our inflammatory cells damage organs throughout the body — which increase mortality for those with COVID-19. Adequate vitamin D may potentially provide some modest protection for vulnerable populations …

Right now, we don’t know if vitamin D deficiency plays any role in the severity of COVID-19. But given the high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in this country, it is safe to recommend that people get the proper daily dosage of vitamin D.

Most people’s bodies manufacture vitamin D in the skin when exposed to the sun. About 15 minutes a day of direct sunlight is sufficient for many people’s bodies to manufacture enough vitamin D; people with darker skin need longer exposure to sunlight to manufacture the same amount.

In winter, people in northern latitudes may not be able to make any vitamin D from sunlight. Sunscreen lengthens the exposure time needed. Many people, then, need vitamin D supplementation.”

Similarly, in a March 25, 2020, MedPage Today article,13 Dr. John C. Umhau writes:

“As a public health specialist at the National Institutes of Health, I outlined how a lack of sun-induced vitamin D in the winter and early spring leads to epidemic acute respiratory infections (and this probably includes viruses like COVID-19).

That review, cited almost a thousand times, argued that groups with low vitamin D levels — the obese and the elderly and those with dark skin — may require 5,000 IU of vitamin D each day to obtain the 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels of 50 ng/mL that appear to protect against viral respiratory infection.

A government-sponsored research strategy to address this issue has not been developed, as officials explained that there was no mandate to explore an alternative to the existing vaccination program.

However, other researchers picked up the ball and provided convincing evidence that vitamin D could reduce the incidence of acute respiratory infection.”

While Umhau specifies a daily dosage, it’s crucial to remember that required dosages can vary widely from one person to another, and that the most important factor here is your blood level. You simply must adjust the vitamin D dose based on your specific recently measured vitamin D level.

I haven’t swallowed oral vitamin D for over a decade and my D level is over 70 ng/mL, as I walk in the sun nearly every day for one hour with my shirt off. I take no supplemental vitamin D. For those who are unable to get sun exposure and have low levels, doses of vitamin D3 may be 10,000 units a day or even higher, but the only way to know is to measure your blood levels.

For that, you must get tested, and then take whatever dosage required to get into the ideal range. While 50 ng/mL may be sufficient, I recommend a vitamin D level between 60 ng/mL and 80 ng/mL for optimal health and disease prevention. GrassrootsHealth’s D*Action research has shown you need at least 40 ng/mL to lower your risk of many diseases.14

In his article Umhau cites a 2017 meta-analysis15 of 25 randomized controlled trials showing vitamin D supplementation helped prevent acute respiratory infections. Those with vitamin D blood levels below 10 ng/mL, which is a serious deficiency state, cut their risk of infection by half, while people with higher vitamin D levels reduced their risk by about 10%.

Importantly, they found that, among those with severe vitamin D deficiency at baseline, you only need to treat four individuals in order to prevent one infection. That’s FAR more effective than influenza vaccination, which requires 71 individuals to be vaccinated in order to prevent a single case of influenza.16

According to this international research team, vitamin D supplementation could prevent more than 3.25 million cases of cold and flu each year in the U.K. alone.17 In my view, optimizing your vitamin D levels is one of the absolute best strategies available to prevent respiratory illness of all kinds.

Umhau also points out that:18

“Critical care research19 also documents the important effect of vitamin D on survival in ICU patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. There are several mechanisms by which vitamin D activity is critical for immune defense: vitamin D acts to maintain tight junctions, promote the effect of antimicrobial peptides (i.e., cathelicidin and defensins), and moderate the inflammatory response.20

Aggressively identifying and treating people with vitamin D deficiency is one potential strategy to reduce the risk of COVID-19. As outlined in the BMJ review, regularly taking oral vitamin D3 mitigates infection, although the optimal oral dose is debatable.

Bolus doses do not appear to provide benefit against infection, possibly through a dysregulation of vitamin D metabolism. There may be a simple yet effective alternative.

Since exposing the whole body to bright sunlight can provide long-lasting and rapid correction of deficiency, this may provide a critical boost to host immune defenses. Lacking definitive research, any risk of exposing the body to sunshine while sheltering in place is clearly outweighed by the risk of COVID-19.”

Based on the available scientific evidence, there’s no reason to ignore vitamins C and D for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 and other respiratory infections.

Remember to test your vitamin D level. Do it at home and stay away from hospitals unless you’re already having symptoms of worsening respiratory infection, such as difficulty breathing. The level you’re aiming for is 60 ng/mL.

GrassrootsHealth makes testing easy by offering an inexpensive vitamin D testing kit as part of its consumer-sponsored research. All revenues from these kits go directly to GrassrootsHealth. I make no profit from these kits and only provide them as a service of convenience to my readers.

Vitamin C is also a crucial aid, both for the prevention and treatment of viral illnesses. You can find pertinent reports and research about vitamin C against COVID-19 on the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service website.21 I recommend using liposomal vitamin C, as it allows you to take far higher dosages than regular vitamin C (as regular vitamin C is limited by your bowel tolerance).

Dr. Robert Rowen, whom I interviewed about the use of vitamin C and ozone therapy for COVID-19, suggests taking upward of 6 grams (6,000 mg) per hour for acute illness, to simulate intravenous administration levels. Prophylactically, it is not recommended to take such high doses.

The only contraindication to high-dose vitamin C treatment is if you are glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficient, which is a genetic disorder.22 G6PD is required for your body to produce NADPH, which is necessary to transfer reductive potential to keep antioxidants, such as vitamin C, functional.

Because your red blood cells do not contain any mitochondria, the only way it can provide reduced glutathione is through NADPH, and since a deficiency of G6PD eliminates this, it causes red blood cells to rupture due to inability to compensate for oxidative stress.

Fortunately, G6PD deficiency is relatively uncommon, and can be tested for. People of Mediterranean and African decent are at greater risk of being G6PD deficient. Worldwide, G6PD deficiency is thought to affect 400 million individuals, and in the U.S., an estimated 1 in 10 African-American males has it.23 Be sure to read this Thursday’s lead article on one of the most important preventive and therapeutic strategies for COVID-19.

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