5 ms·

You're under the absurd illusion that a substance with some weak evidence (that may be just statistical noise and bad interpretation of data) would have a signi

by hannob 6y ago

You're under the absurd illusion that a substance with some weak evidence (that may be just statistical noise and bad interpretation of data) would have a significant effect. If there's an effect of vitamin D it's likely very small.

vinay427 6y ago
With respect, and this is coming from just another measly user so take it with a grain of salt and feel free to disagree: I think your comment would be a lot more effective (and just as meaningful) without such an inflammatory tone in the first sentence. I think there are times and places to be more forceful, but an initial reply to a question presumed to be in good faith probably isn't one of them.
chrisco255 6y ago
There's actually a couple dozen studies on Vitamin D's effects on Covid-19: https://c19vitamind.com/ https://c19vitamind.com/ Some are retrospectives some are randomized clinical trials. Vitamin D has a major effect on the immune system that is well documented. OP is right. Even if supplementation reduced the death rate by only 25%, the cost-benefit analysis says that it would absolutely have made sense for countries to issue free Vitamin D and promote its use.
- hannob 6y ago
  This lists 2 RCTs (related to Covid-19 + a few others for other infections). One is very small (16 people), the other is dubious, it seems to be the one that combines with hydroxychloroquine "standard of care". (I believe this was discussed on HN before.) It almost certainly won't reduce death rate by 25%. Very few medical interventions have an effect size that large.
  - chrisco255 6y ago
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960076017300031 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S09600... Vitamin D levels in summer months are associated with 25% lower mortality rates for all causes. Vitamin D almost certainly influences the immune system to fight off Covid in the same way it does the seasonal flu and other pneumonia. There's hundreds more studies on Vitamin D. Read up when you get a chance. Hell even if it was a 5% reduction we're talking an abundant vitamin that costs pennies to manufacture.
  - pjscott 6y ago
    > the other is dubious, it seems to be the one that combines with hydroxychloroquine "standard of care". I believe you're referring to this one, the RCT run in a hospital in Spain, with a startlingly huge effect size: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960076020302764 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096007602... It seems that giving all patients hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin was the policy at that hospital at the time the experiment was run, so the RCT didn't vary that between control and experimental groups; they just gave vitamin D pills to one group and not the other. Is there some problem with this?

by hannob 6y ago

vinay427 6y ago

With respect, and this is coming from just another measly user so take it with a grain of salt and feel free to disagree: I think your comment would be a lot more effective (and just as meaningful) without such an inflammatory tone in the first sentence. I think there are times and places to be more forceful, but an initial reply to a question presumed to be in good faith probably isn't one of them.

chrisco255 6y ago

There's actually a couple dozen studies on Vitamin D's effects on Covid-19: https://c19vitamind.com/ https://c19vitamind.com/ Some are retrospectives some are randomized clinical trials. Vitamin D has a major effect on the immune system that is well documented. OP is right. Even if supplementation reduced the death rate by only 25%, the cost-benefit analysis says that it would absolutely have made sense for countries to issue free Vitamin D and promote its use.

hannob 6y ago
This lists 2 RCTs (related to Covid-19 + a few others for other infections). One is very small (16 people), the other is dubious, it seems to be the one that combines with hydroxychloroquine "standard of care". (I believe this was discussed on HN before.) It almost certainly won't reduce death rate by 25%. Very few medical interventions have an effect size that large.
- chrisco255 6y ago
  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0960076017300031 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S09600... Vitamin D levels in summer months are associated with 25% lower mortality rates for all causes. Vitamin D almost certainly influences the immune system to fight off Covid in the same way it does the seasonal flu and other pneumonia. There's hundreds more studies on Vitamin D. Read up when you get a chance. Hell even if it was a 5% reduction we're talking an abundant vitamin that costs pennies to manufacture.
- pjscott 6y ago
  > the other is dubious, it seems to be the one that combines with hydroxychloroquine "standard of care". I believe you're referring to this one, the RCT run in a hospital in Spain, with a startlingly huge effect size: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960076020302764 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096007602... It seems that giving all patients hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin was the policy at that hospital at the time the experiment was run, so the RCT didn't vary that between control and experimental groups; they just gave vitamin D pills to one group and not the other. Is there some problem with this?