Vitamin D supplements recommended for every adult in Ireland
DUBLIN: Taking vitamin D supplements can help prevent COVID-19, according to a new Oireachtas report. The main recommendation of the report is that every adult in Ireland should start taking vitamin D. The recommendation comes amid concerns that the country is facing vitamin D deficiency. The report also suggests that vitamin D supplements be given to those who visit the COVID-19 test centres.
The Oireachtas Health Committee’s report says that vitamin D deficiency can lead to serious health problems associated with COVID-19. The report also says the issue needs to be addressed urgently.
The report also outlines various measures that need to be taken to increase vitamin D levels in the general population. The entire adult population of the country should be given 20-25 mg of vitamin D daily. High doses of the vitamin should be made available to the vulnerable groups under medical supervision. Reducing or eliminating VAT rates should also be considered to reduce the cost of vitamin D supplements. Vitamin D should be given to frontline health care workers and vulnerable groups in nursing homes and prisons, the report says.
In Finland, where vitamin D-related foods are widely available, deaths related to COVID-19 are lower compared to European counterparts.
The elderly, those who are overweight, those who belong to the BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) community are at a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency. About 64% of people over the age of 80 and 67% of nursing home residents, and 93% in the BAME community in Ireland are vitamin deficient.
The report also reveals that 47% of people in Ireland between the ages of 18-39, and 35% of people between the ages of 50-59, are vitamin D deficient.
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