The article cites that darker skinned South Asian residents seemingly more vulnerable as well...Vitamin D certainly would be a very
inexpensive preventative measure, should the theory hold.

mwooldri

(10,421 posts)

6. The UK doesn't have a great abundance of sunshine....

Reply to whathehell (Reply #4)

Thu May 14, 2020, 01:20 PM

May 2020

... so the Vitamin D theory could hold water here. But then a lot of native Britons have a Vitamin D deficiency. So how much of this is from a biological difference between the "races" I don't know. However taking a multivitamin supplement wouldn't hurt at all - I've not heard anyone dying from an overdose of Vitamin D tablets.

Dream Girl

(5,111 posts)

7. An advantage of white skin is that it is more efficient

Reply to mwooldri (Reply #6)

Thu May 14, 2020, 02:20 PM

May 2020

At producing Vitamin D from sunshine. Dark skin not so much. A study in Indonesia showed that hose with the most sever symptoms were defiant in D3

muriel_volestrangler

(102,618 posts)

8. There is such a thing as taking too much vitamin D

Reply to mwooldri (Reply #6)

Thu May 14, 2020, 02:45 PM

May 2020

Taking too many vitamin D supplements over a long period of time can cause too much calcium to build up in the body (hypercalcaemia). This can weaken the bones and damage the kidneys and the heart.

If you choose to take vitamin D supplements, 10 micrograms a day will be enough for most people.

Do not take more than 100 micrograms of vitamin D a day as it could be harmful. This applies to adults, including pregnant and breastfeeding women and the elderly, and children aged 11 to 17 years.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-d/

And they've also added to that page:

Coronavirus update

Consider taking 10 micrograms of vitamin D a day to keep your bones and muscles healthy.

This is because you may not be getting enough vitamin D from sunlight if you’re indoors most of the day.

There have been some news reports about vitamin D reducing the risk of coronavirus. However, there is no evidence that this is the case.

mwooldri

(10,421 posts)

5. From watching Sky News...

Reply to whathehell (Original post)

Thu May 14, 2020, 01:00 PM

May 2020

I heard pretty much the same thing. One theory was that BAME people were more susceptible to Covid-19 because they were more disproportionately "essential workers". Apparently that's not the case.

There is so much we don't know about Sars-CoV-2...

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