I kept my D3 levels high (above 90 ng/mL) for the last 18 years on orders from my oncologist. When Covid hit, I was protected, and experienced 2 very mild cases.
The government should give D3 free to every citizen, stop the jabs, and save lives.
No question that the right public health response should have been a Manhattan project level focus on population level Vitamin D sufficiency. If I recall correctly the UK made a feeble attempt at suggesting low dose, RDA-type supplementation... but it didn't help. Duh.
Although I can't separate out the effects of all the early treatment cocktail components I used when I had Covid last June, I went into it > 50 ng/ml and I never even spiked a fever. I was very tired and tested positive for almost two weeks, but it was also very mild.
Jim - great first substack! Here's to many more. I am convinced that Vitamin D alone could be the easiest and biggest and best bang for the buck intervention any country could undertake.
The "mortality rate close to zero could theoretically be achieved at 50 ng/ml 25(OH)D3" is realistic for some value of "close". All the evidence shows reduced severity and reduced death due to levels such as 50 ng/mL, in contrast to typical unsupplemented levels, without recent UV-B skin exposure, in the 5 to 25 ng/mL range.
However, despite what some people write about COVID-19 being like flu (which itself can be deadly, most likely with very low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, COVID-19 is a potentially devastating and deadly disease.
Melatonin (which you write about), ivermectin, quercetin, extra zinc, vitamin C, extra magnesium and boron should also be used for early treatment.
A comprehensive, but still not exhaustive, set of research articles on vitamin D and the immune system are cited and discussed at my long page (co-signed by Patrick Chambers MD): https://vitamindstopscovid.info/00-evi/ . This includes a table of recommended vitamin D3 supplemental intake quantities as ratios of bodyweight, with higher ratios for those suffering from obesity: https://vitamindstopscovid.info/00-evi/#sjw-updated-ratios This is a summary of the recommendations by New Jersey Emeritus Professor of Medicine, and long-time vitamin D researcher, Sunil Wimalwansa. "Rapidly Increasing Serum 25(OH)D Boosts the Immune System, against Infections - Sepsis and COVID-19: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/14/2997 . This also concerns using a single oral dose of calcifediol (which _is_ 25-hydroxyvitamin D) to boost 25-hydroxyvitamin D safely over 50 ng/mL in 4 hours. Bolus D3 (such as 10 mg 400,000 IU) takes about 4 days. Ordinary healthy intakes, such as 0.125 mg (5000 IU) a day (for 70 kg body weight, without obesity, take several months.
Thank you for the additional resource links Robin. Regarding the medrixiv paper pointing at 50 ng/ml as being highly protective in the case of Covid-19 hospitalization and death, can I assume that you agree with the conclusion regardless of the author's reputations?
I believe that the "mortality rate close to zero could theoretically be achieved at 50 ng/ml 25(OH)D3" part of the title of the https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.09.22.21263977v1 article is reasonably true, for some value of "close". Despite what some people believe, COVID-19 is a potentially very harmful or deadly disease.
50 ng/mL or more 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels will surely reduce risk of harm compared to typical unsupplemented levels of 5 to 25 ng/mL, but early treatment with melatonin (which you write about), ivermectin, quercetin, zinc, magnesium, boron and vitamin C would also help a lot.
Thank you, Jim. Your essay was very informative and supports my "habit" of 20,000IU; which may be high; but the recommendations I read were all between 10-30K IU/Day. So I rounded it to the middle :-)
Jim, congratulations on a very convincing and useful essay. I look forward to the next!
Your friend from PP, Ubermeister
I kept my D3 levels high (above 90 ng/mL) for the last 18 years on orders from my oncologist. When Covid hit, I was protected, and experienced 2 very mild cases.
The government should give D3 free to every citizen, stop the jabs, and save lives.
No question that the right public health response should have been a Manhattan project level focus on population level Vitamin D sufficiency. If I recall correctly the UK made a feeble attempt at suggesting low dose, RDA-type supplementation... but it didn't help. Duh.
Although I can't separate out the effects of all the early treatment cocktail components I used when I had Covid last June, I went into it > 50 ng/ml and I never even spiked a fever. I was very tired and tested positive for almost two weeks, but it was also very mild.
Jim - great first substack! Here's to many more. I am convinced that Vitamin D alone could be the easiest and biggest and best bang for the buck intervention any country could undertake.
Thank you so much for reading and commenting here Chris. I am a proud graduate of the Chris Martenson academy of dot connecting : )
The "mortality rate close to zero could theoretically be achieved at 50 ng/ml 25(OH)D3" is realistic for some value of "close". All the evidence shows reduced severity and reduced death due to levels such as 50 ng/mL, in contrast to typical unsupplemented levels, without recent UV-B skin exposure, in the 5 to 25 ng/mL range.
However, despite what some people write about COVID-19 being like flu (which itself can be deadly, most likely with very low levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, COVID-19 is a potentially devastating and deadly disease.
Melatonin (which you write about), ivermectin, quercetin, extra zinc, vitamin C, extra magnesium and boron should also be used for early treatment.
A comprehensive, but still not exhaustive, set of research articles on vitamin D and the immune system are cited and discussed at my long page (co-signed by Patrick Chambers MD): https://vitamindstopscovid.info/00-evi/ . This includes a table of recommended vitamin D3 supplemental intake quantities as ratios of bodyweight, with higher ratios for those suffering from obesity: https://vitamindstopscovid.info/00-evi/#sjw-updated-ratios This is a summary of the recommendations by New Jersey Emeritus Professor of Medicine, and long-time vitamin D researcher, Sunil Wimalwansa. "Rapidly Increasing Serum 25(OH)D Boosts the Immune System, against Infections - Sepsis and COVID-19: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/14/2997 . This also concerns using a single oral dose of calcifediol (which _is_ 25-hydroxyvitamin D) to boost 25-hydroxyvitamin D safely over 50 ng/mL in 4 hours. Bolus D3 (such as 10 mg 400,000 IU) takes about 4 days. Ordinary healthy intakes, such as 0.125 mg (5000 IU) a day (for 70 kg body weight, without obesity, take several months.
Regarding https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.09.22.21263977v1, the first two authors are far from reliable, since they promoted fraudulent articles in 2020: https://researchveracity.info/alra/#R-critique .
Thank you for the additional resource links Robin. Regarding the medrixiv paper pointing at 50 ng/ml as being highly protective in the case of Covid-19 hospitalization and death, can I assume that you agree with the conclusion regardless of the author's reputations?
I believe that the "mortality rate close to zero could theoretically be achieved at 50 ng/ml 25(OH)D3" part of the title of the https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.09.22.21263977v1 article is reasonably true, for some value of "close". Despite what some people believe, COVID-19 is a potentially very harmful or deadly disease.
50 ng/mL or more 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels will surely reduce risk of harm compared to typical unsupplemented levels of 5 to 25 ng/mL, but early treatment with melatonin (which you write about), ivermectin, quercetin, zinc, magnesium, boron and vitamin C would also help a lot.
Boron is a highly neglected nutrient. A rough roundup of research is: https://aminotheory.com/cv19/#08-boron .
Thanks Jim. Short and impactful. Love it.
Susan (herewego)
Congrats on this first, and most excellent article Jim. Well done!
This is easily consumed data suitable for sharing, which I shall be doing of course.
I am so glad you have joined the ranks of the Substack info/data sharing community!
Your friend Jan
Good work, Jim.
Here is an excellent one page summary regarding Vitamin D supplementation and the 50 ng/ml target;
https://twitter.com/goddeketal/status/1635657795902091264/photo/1
Dr. Simon Goddek knows... "...frankly speaking, I doubt that anybody would get ill at all with 25(OH)D levels above 50 ng/mL."
https://twitter.com/goddeketal/status/1617545188867448832
Is 50 ng of vitamin D too high, just right, or not enough
https://vitamindwiki.com/tiki-index.php?page_id=2028
Over 100 studies - page was started around 2012. It has seen 92,000 visitors as of Sept 2024
Is 50 ng of vitamin D too high, just right, or not enough
https://vitamindwiki.com/tiki-index.php?page_id=2028
Over 100 studies - the page was started around 2012. It has seen 92,000 visitors so far
Thank you, Jim. Your essay was very informative and supports my "habit" of 20,000IU; which may be high; but the recommendations I read were all between 10-30K IU/Day. So I rounded it to the middle :-)