With the clocks going back, winter and the dark nights are closing in, and as we prepare for six weeks of Level 5 lockdown, I thought this would be a good time to find out how we can help boost our immunity and increase Vitamin D levels or the ‘sunshine vitamin’ as we spend more time indoors.

This week’s guest is Helena Scully a registered nutritionist and first author of a five year study from Trinity College and the MISA Unit at St. James’s Hospital that has looked into vitamin D deficiencies in Irish people.

Helena has some really interesting insights into those parts of the population that are showing deficiencies in vitamin D and reasons why and she also explains how we can all ensure we boost our levels of this important vitamin to help in our battle against Covid.

“We currently do know that vitamin D is associated with immune health,” she tells me. “It's involved in upregulation of the immune system and it also has anti-inflammatory effects and then taken together, this has been looked at in respect of respiratory conditions or respiratory infections and asthma, and vitamin D has been associated with improved outcomes in these kind of conditions. So it does make sense that vitamin D will be associated with conditions such as Covid. There is a basis in physiology as how it would make sense that vitamin D is having an effect on Covid infection.”

To read more about the study that was partially funded by Avonmore, the paper is available in the journal ‘Nutrients’ here:
https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/12/9/2663/html

Stay healthy and safe and do keep in touch with me for daily postings on Instagram and Twitter @KarlHenryPT.

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