Vitamin D and Omega-3 supplements help the elderly avoid Covid-19 infection

Taking regular vitamin D or Omega-3 supplements bolsters pensioners’ immune systems, helping them to fend off infections including Covid-19, a study has found.

Both the supplements are essential for good overall health and are found in oily fish.

A study of more than 2,000 pensioners revealed the pills reduce the risk of catching infections but have no impact on bone health, memory and muscle function.

The findings add to a growing stack of studies which find high vitamin D levels stave off Covid-19 and also improve people’s chances of survival if they do get infected.

Last month, Matt Hancock urged people to take vitamin D to help boost their overall health and said the Government would be ramping up public health messaging to encourage uptake of the supplement.

This marked yet another U-turn for the beleaguered Health Secretary after previously claiming it had no impact on Covid-19, much to the chagrin and disbelief of experts.

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Both vitamin D and Omega 3 supplements are essential for good overall health and are found in oily fish. A study of more than 2,000 pensioners revealed the pills reduce the risk of catching infections but have no impact on bone health, memory and muscle function

Professor Heike Bischoff-Ferrari from Zurich University in Switzerland, who led the latest study, said: ‘Our findings suggest supplementation of vitamin D and omega-3s in adults aged 70 or older who lead an active lifestyle and have no pre-existing conditions does not provide any benefits when it comes to bone health, memory and muscle function.

‘However, we believe there is an effect on infections – such as Covid-19.’

An analysis of 2,157 healthy men and women aged 70 and older found omega-3 users were 11 per cent less likely to suffer infections.

The study took place between 2012 and 2014, long before the coronavirus pandemic exploded in November 2019.

While the findings therefore do not provide direct proof the the supplements can protect the elderly against coronavirus, they are applicable, the experts say.

Last month, Matt Hancock urged people to take vitamin D to help boost their overall health and said the Government would be ramping up public health messaging to encourage uptake of the supplement

Matt Hancock says you should take vitamin D to fight Covid-19

Last month, Matt Hancock urged people to take vitamin D to help boost their overall health and said the Government would be ramping up public health messaging to encourage uptake of the supplement.

This marked yet another U-turn for the beleaguered Health Secretary after previously claiming it had no impact on Covid-19, much to the chagrin and disbelief of experts.

Health chiefs have long advised that vitamin D supplements should be taken by adults in the UK over the winter, when there is less sunshine.

The body creates vitamin D from direct sunlight on the skin when outdoors. It can also be obtained by dietary sources such as oily fish, eggs, and some breakfast cereals.

The NHS updated its guidance this spring to say people should consider supplementing all year round because lockdowns may cause people to spend more time indoors due to the lockdown.

Year-round supplementation advice was already in place for the elderly, who may be housebound, and those with dark skin.

The NHS says: ‘If you have dark skin – for example you have an African, African-Caribbean or south Asian background – you may also not get enough vitamin D from sunlight.’

But Public Health England (PHE) stressed the new advice was not because there was proof vitamin D protected against Covid-19.

A row on the benefits of vitamin D came to a head when Matt Hancock wrongly told the House of Commons in September that a Government-funded ‘trial’ investigating it showed it did not ‘appear to have any impact’.

But officials have since admitted that no clinical trials had taken place and claim it was a slip of the tongue from Mr Hancock – who was also staunchly opposed to face masks in the spring and claimed they were ‘extremely weak’ in stopping Covid-19’s spread.

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Data published in the journal JAMA reveals urinary tract and upper respiratory infections were cut by 62 and 10 per cent, respectively, by Omega-3.

Meanwhile, vitamin D reduced infection risk in 70 to 74 year-olds by 16 per cent and lowered blood pressure in men by 2.5 mmHg (millimeters of mercury).

This is the top number in a reading that measures the force your heart exerts on the walls of your arteries each time it beats.

Professor Bischoff-Ferrari said: ‘Given the high safety and low costs of these supplements as well as the high mortality associated with infections in older adults, these findings are very relevant for the health of the general population.’

The volunteers from Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France and Portugal were divided into eight groups.

They received none, one, two or three pills of omega-3 (1 gram/day), vitamin D (50 micrograms) and/or a simple home-exercise program.

Researchers kept up with the participants over time to track their health and recorded events such as new diseases, infections, falls and visits to the doctor.

The NHS recommends taking 10 micrograms of vitamin D — the equivalent of one salmon fillet — a day to keep bones and muscles healthy in the winter.

But health chiefs have since advised Britons take the supplement all year round, because lockdowns are driving people indoors.

Mr Hancock previously claimed vitamin D has ‘no impact’ on Covid-19, despite evidence to the contrary.

Scientists and MPs lambasted Mr Hancock for ‘ignoring’ the increasing number of studies which show vitamin D is linked with better Covid-19 outcomes.

Several papers have shown people with a vitamin D deficiency, which is common in Britain, are more likely to catch the coronavirus, get seriously ill or die.

A lack of high quality studies that definitely prove cause and effect has led Queen Mary University of London to launch a large study of 5,000 volunteers this autumn.

Officials estimate one in five Britons are deficient in vitamin D — the equivalent of 13million Britons.

Deficiency is more common in older people, in people who are overweight, and in black and Asian people — all of the groups who are at increased risk of becoming very ill with Covid.

Millions of elderly and vulnerable will get free Vitamin D from government as evidence grows that it helps in battle against Covid-19

By Glen Owen Political Editor For The Mail On Sunday

Millions of vulnerable people will be sent supplies of Vitamin D by the Government as evidence grows that it helps in the battle against Covid-19 infection.

Care-home residents and people shielding because they suffer from conditions such as cancer will be sent enough supplies of the vitamin to last four months, with the first packages due to arrive early next month.

The move comes after Health Secretary Matt Hancock decided he had to act fast in light of the emerging evidence about the benefits of Vitamin D.

One recent study found that more than 80 per cent of Covid-19 victims admitted to hospital were Vitamin D deficient, compared with a UK average of 25 per cent.

Ministers are hoping that greater uptake of the vitamin, along with more effective drug treatments and a viable vaccine, will combine to remove the need for an endless series of rolling lockdowns.

A senior Government source said that direct delivery to people’s doorsteps in England would ‘help prevent Vitamin D deficiency and maintain normal calcium levels in the blood and keep bones and muscles healthy’.

The source added: ‘We are going to ensure those most in need of Vitamin D can access a supply to last them throughout winter. There are a number of studies that suggest Vitamin D supplementation could have a positive impact for people suffering with Covid-19.’

The move will be accompanied by the start of clinical trials to further assess links between Vitamin D and Covid-19.

Those who will receive free supplies include organ-transplant recipients, chemotherapy patients and those with severe respiratory conditions such as cystic fibrosis, severe asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Vitamin D is a hormone produced by the kidneys which controls blood calcium concentration and has a direct impact on the body’s immune system.

Some experts have suggested that the higher rates of serious Covid-19 complications in patients from ethnic minorities could be due to the lower levels of Vitamin D they are able to synthesise from sunlight.

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This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk