Synergy Biologics' Pro D3 Vegan Vitamin D3 products have been chosen for the clinical trials on the effects of Vitamin D supplementation to Reduce Risk and Severity of COVID-19 and Other Acute Respiratory Infections (CORONAVIT).
CORONAVIT, conducted by Queen Mary University of London, will run for six months and involve more than 5000 people to find out whether a 'test-and-treat' approach to correct people's Vitamin D deficiency during winter will reduce risk and/or severity of COVID-19 and other acute respiratory infections.
Synergy Biologics' Pro D3 Vegan has been chosen for the study because of the trust and longevity in the Pro D3 brand and suitability for those who require specific dietary requirements, (vegan, vegetarian, kosher) and follow strict religious beliefs (halal, kosher, cruelty-free). Pro D3 Vegan follows Synergy Biologics high quality standards with every batch quantified and microbiologically tested before market release with its own certificate of analysis.
Lead researched Professor Adrian Martineau from Queen Mary University of London said: "There is mounting evidence that Vitamin D might reduce the risk of respiratory infections, with some recent studies suggesting that people with lower Vitamin D levels may be more susceptible to Coronavirus.
Many people in the UK have low Vitamin D levels, particularly in the winter and spring, when respiratory infections are most common. Vitamin D 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-19.
The UK government already recommends that people take a low-dose Vitamin D supplement over the winter to protect their bone health, but we do not know if this will have effect on COVID-19 or if higher doses might be able to provide protection against the virus.
The CORONAVIT trial will test whether higher doses of Vitamin D might offer protection against winter respiratory infections including COVID-19.”
In July 2016, Public Health England published new advice to the Government on Vitamin D advising "to protect bone and muscle health, everyone needs vitamin D equivalent to an average daily intake of 10 micrograms"
The sunshine in the UK is too weak to make Vitamin D in the skin between October and April, and dietary sources of Vitamin D are limited, which is why supplementation is recommended: This has recently been extended to a recommendation of year-round supplementation in view of potentially decreased sun exposure during ‘lockdown’.
However, early unpublished data from the Queen Mary team shows that 2 in 3 people are not following this advice, potentially due to a reluctance to buy and take a supplement without a test result that shows they are Vitamin D deficient.
Principal Investigator of the study, Dr David Jolliffe from Queen Mary University of London, added: "CORONAVIT trial has the potential to give a definitive answer to the question of whether Vitamin D offers protection against COVID-19. Vitamin D supplements are low in cost, low in risk and widely accessible; if proven effective, they could significantly aid in our global fight against the virus.”
To register for the CORONAVIT trial, please contact the study team on coronavit@qmul.ac.uk and they will send you details on how to register.
You can find out more about the trial by clicking the link below:
Trial of Vitamin D to Reduce Risk and Severity of COVID-19 and Other Acute Respiratory Infections (CORONAVIT)
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04579640?cond=Vitamin+D&cntry=GB&city=London&draw=3&rank=11
