09 Nov 2020 Government heeds advice on Vitamin D and offers 4 months’ supply to the most vulnerable
Following the sustained pressure from the scientific community, including BANT’s call for extraordinary supplementation of Vitamins C & D as a preventative measure for COVID-19 (https://bant.org.uk/2020/10/20/bant-recommends-extraordinary-measure-of-vitamin-c-and-vitamin-d-supplementation/) the government has finally acted on Vitamin D. The Health Secretary Matt Hancock has decided to “act fast”, albeit well into this second national lockdown, and offer a four-month supply of Vitamin D supplements to millions of vulnerable people shielding at home and in care homes. This will include organ-transplant recipients, chemotherapy patients and those with severe respiratory conditions such as cystic fibrosis, severe asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. British MP and former cabinet minister David Davis called for action back in September stating “A cheap way of tackling COVID-19 is being ignored”. The first packages are due to be sent early next month (December), four months later.
Vitamin D is a potent immune modifying micronutrient and there is mounting evidence of its effectiveness in moderating COVID-19 severity. BANT recently highlighted research in which early intervention with Vitamin D supplementation in SARS-CoV-2 infections reduced severity of the infection and lowered ICU admissions (1). Public Health England (PHE) recommend 10 micrograms (mcg) of Vitamin D3 every day from foods such as oily fish and eggs, or supplementation (2). With average costs starting as little as £12 per adult for a four-month supply, it is cost-effective and available to roll out nationally. Why then has it taken so long for the government to act?
BANT is encouraged by this latest move and continues to call for Vitamin C and Vitamin D supplementation for all adults as part of a wider prevention strategy for COVID-19.
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- Effect of calcifediol treatment and best available therapy versus best available therapy on intensive care unit admission and mortality among patients hospitalized for COVID-19: A pilot randomized clinical study, 2020, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32871238/
- https://www.nhs.uk/news/food-and-diet/the-new-guidelines-on-vitamin-d-what-you-need-to-know/
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NOTES TO EDITORS:
The British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT) a professional body for Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioners in one-to-one clinical practice and a self-regulator for BANT Registered Nutritionists®
BANT Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioners are regulated by the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) that holds an Accredited Voluntary Register (AVR) for the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA). A recent report by the Royal Society for Public Health and the Professional Standards Agency made a key recommendation that AVR practitioners have the authority to make direct NHS referrals, in appropriate cases, to ease the administrative burden on GP surgeries. As members of the CNHC Accredited Register, BANT Registered Nutritional Therapy Practitioners and other CNHC registrants, are the key workforce asset to harness 21st century lifestyle medicine to tackle the rising tide of obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, and other chronic diseases.
To find a BANT practitioner, please click here: https://practitioner-search.bant.org.uk/
