Appeal to takedown

I wish to appeal the decision to take down my video for the following reasons which are also included with scientific references in the background information linked to the video.

It has since come to my attention that this link was broken – here is the correct one: https://spiral-m.com/vitamin-d-and-covid-19-lyrics-and-scientific-background.

My song was written to bring attention to the potentially large benefits of appropriately boosting vitamin D levels to help reduce the severity of the pandemic AND help achieve better immune systems generally, in light of what has been described as the global pandemic of vitamin D deficiency (1) which regardless of costs associated with covid-19 could save many lives and cut health costs significantly (2).

Nowhere in the song – which is not to be read like a scientific text – do I claim that:

• vitamin D is a substitute for vaccines

• that it is the only solution

• that it guarantees favourable outcomes with Covid-19

– Nor have I claimed that pandemic safety regulations are unnecessary.

– In my disclaimer on the video and in the accompanying text I clearly state the importance of dealing with concerns about possible vitamin D deficiency with a qualified medical professional.

 

Increasing vitamin D as a strategy to help the pandemic situation and protect people better has been put forward by many health professionals and researchers as a precautionary principle of low-cost and potential high gain as there is much scientific evidence to support this. (3) (7)

Science revolves around debate and there is no clear consensus that that vitamin D does not play a significant role in the prevention of serious covid-19 outcomes (4). “The jury is out” does not mean that there is scientific consensus that promoting appropriate higher vitamin D intake is dangerous or wrong to help prevent serious outcomes of covid-19. The WHO don’t make this claim either (8). Much research says no evidence of help, much says plenty of evidence for help.

Recommendations vary internationally and from doctor to doctor, further showing lack of consensus upon which to base taking down my video. (5) Studies cited on vitamin D deficiency and covid-19 that claim insufficient evidence for protective function have often been: in countries where vitamin D deficiency is not high, negating supplement effectivity or focused on post-infection therapy and not prevention or carried out by medical professionals who have their normal work-burdens to deal with additionally, negating effectiveness of research scope, non-peer reviewed (”pre-prints”) or a mixture of these. Funding has not been put forward like it has for dedicated vaccine studies.

“We’ve seen a lot of very poor quality papers published in preprint and peer-review which report ‘no evidence’ but it’s important to remember that a poor quality investigation will never find evidence,” he said. “This is very far from reporting ‘we found evidence there was no effect’ which no-one has reported.” (4)

That renders the narrative that claims that there is proof of “as largely irrelevant. “As Neale points out, “there is data that is suggestive” and enough smoke to indicate that you don’t want to be vitamin-D-deficient in a pandemic.” (4)

Toxicity with vitamin D is widely recognised as being rare (6). Yet daily dosages recommended in many countries are remarkably small despite ongoing deficiency. 4000 I.U. / day is recognised as safe, this isn’t being promoted as standard, rather 400 (UK), 800 (Germany), 1000 (EFSA). (5) Routine blood tests are not provided and must be paid extra above health insurance in Germany.

My song also deals with the question of lobbyism (reported by state media) behind decisions in health authorities and indeed approval authorities and even in some cases, state media and the WHO, which may reflect decisions about daily dosage of vitamin D or competition with products from more powerful drug companies. The prescription of drugs / funding of studies is not always based upon priority of ethics but also on relative financial influence of lobbyists (9)

Malpractices in health systems have been well-documented by German state media revealing industry-bias in the decision-making processes. (9) This is not to negate any positive work by such institutions but the public should have freedom of information as to any compromising decision-making processes which do not necessarily serve the best interests of the public, instead aiming to increase profits as a higher priority, and also fill the pockets of politicians associated with said industries.

 

 

1. Vitamin D deficiency is a “pandemic”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28516265/

“a worldwide prevalence of up to 1 billion.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532266/

Vitamin D deficiency in Europe: pandemic?

https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/103/4/1033/4662891

Vitamin D deficiency in India – 80-90%

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q_mhJRFtxg&t=79s

Brazil: 28% deficient / 45% insufficient at low defined threshhold of

https://eje.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/eje/180/4/EJE-18-0736.xml

40% of Europeans are vitamin D deficient, and 13% are severely deficient

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41430-020-0558-y

“42% Percent of Americans Are Vitamin D Deficient.”

https://www.cantonmercy.org/healthchat/42-percent-of-americans-are-vitamin-d-deficient/

Vitamin D Deficiency- An Ignored Epidemic

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3068797/

According to the Robertkochinstitut (RKI) up to 30.2% of adults in Germany have deficiency. 38.4% of adults achieve adequate care. 61.6% are therefore have suboptimal levels.

https://edoc.rki.de/handle/176904/2492 (German)

“approximately 75% had suboptimal 25(OH)D concentration” (Asia)

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/9/3/313

“Similar rates of vitamin D deficiency have been reported in Europe [26] and Canada. A greater prevalence of vitamin D deficiency exists in Middle Eastern countries. A study of 316 young adults aged 30-50 years from the Middle East showed that 72.8% had 25(OH)D values of less than 15 ng/dL (that is, severely deficient).”

https://www.medscape.com/answers/128762-54282/what-is-the-global-prevalence-of-vitamin-d-deficiency

“Moreover, more than two-thirds of all children had levels below 75 nmol/L, including 80 percent of Hispanic children and 92 percent of non-Hispanic black children. “ (USA)

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2009-10-latest-analysis-suboptimal-vitamin-d.html

“Suboptimal vitamin D status is a highly prevalent but treatable condition in both hospitalized patients and the general population “

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18042130/

 

2. General benefits of Vitamin D

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29080635/

https://www.altmetric.com/details/99483725

https://www.dana-farber.org/newsroom/news-releases/2019/high-dose-vitamin-d-shows-benefit-in-patients-with-advanced-colorectal-cancer/

“a low vitamin D status is emerging as a very common condition worldwide, and several studies from basic science to clinical applications have highlighted a strong association with chronic diseases, as well as acute conditions. Moreover, the large amount of observational data currently available are also accompanied by pathophysiological associations of vitamin D with energy homeostasis, and regulation of the immune and endocrine systems.”

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41430-020-0558-y

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3582312/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28580189/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?term=vitamin+d+and+multiple+sclerosis

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/?term=vitamin+d+and+diabetes

https://www.dana-farber.org/newsroom/news-releases/2019/high-dose-vitamin-d-shows-benefit-in-patients-with-advanced-colorectal-cancer/

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/15050-vitamin-d–vitamin-d-deficiency

https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/vitamin-d-helps-the-immune-system-during-cold-and-flu-season

Multiple Sclerosis and Vitamin D

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3582312/

Treatment of MS with Vit D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jquQjPxdRKY

 

3. Scientists calling for increased vitamin D

https://vitamindforall.org/letter.html

“the lack of specific recommendations in the context of COVID-19 was also met with disappointment by many in the scientific community who have argued that vitamin D supplementation is generally safe and that any potential low toxicity would likely be strongly outweighed by any potential benefits in relation to protection from COVID-19.”

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(21)00003-6/fulltext

Irish health experts appeal to government

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/please-take-vitamin-d-to-protect-against-covid-19-say-irish-experts-1069537.html

 

4. Some of the evidence and debate:

https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.201912

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/341168094_Vitamin_D_deficiency_as_risk_factor_for_severe_COVID-19_a_convergence_of_two_pandemics

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33371905/

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20503121211014073

Can Vitamin D Help Protect Against COVID-19? “the jury is out”

https://www.nature.com/articles/d42859-021-00052-9

“The German Society for Nutrition says a link between vitamin D deficiency and increased corona risks is probable. “

https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/en/can-vitamin-d-protect-against-covid-19-li.140167

Examples of the inconsequential basis for “proof of no proof” of studies that are commonly cited:

“We’ve seen a lot of very poor quality papers published in preprint and peer-review which report ‘no evidence’ but it’s important to remember that a poor quality investigation will never find evidence,” he said. “This is very far from reporting ‘we found evidence there was no effect’ which no-one has reported.”

Pre-print citation examples:

https://www.businessinsider.com/vitamin-d-does-not-protect-against-covid-19-studies-find-2021-3

“One weakness, they said, is the sample’s high proportion of people of European ancestry. They recommended further study of more diverse and higher-risk populations, for whom vitamin D’s effects might differ.”

https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2021/05/study-vitamin-d-wont-limit-risk-severity-covid-19

“Vitamin D has shown antimicrobial as well as anti-inflammatory properties” “Thus, the immunomodulatory capacity of vitamin D should be further explored considering there is already preliminary evidence of its effectiveness against COVID-19.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8135207/

“Studies of individual micronutrients including vitamin D and zinc suggest roles in reducing severity of infection with SARS-CoV-2”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34168111/

“Routine 25-OH-Vitamin D3 measurement in COVID-19 patients could be of great importance, either for clinical course estimation or deciding on supplementation.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33821193/

“Compared to the general population, adult CA and SOT patients with COVID-19 had higher comorbidities, greater levels of inflammatory markers at diagnosis, and higher rates of intensive care and hospital mortality. “

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7859698/

“low levels of vitamin D have been associated with worsening autoimmune diseases.”

https://www.pharmacytimes.com/view/vitamin-d-helps-the-immune-system-during-cold-and-flu-season

 

“Hence, Vitamin D can serve as a potential immune-modulator in COVID-19 infection due to its immune regulating function being supported by considerable clinical evidence [49, 69]. Although not prospectively validated in a randomized control trial; the role of vitamin D in attenuating hyper-acute inflammatory response in severe COVID-19 can be determined by studying impact of vitamin D deficiency on markers like CRP and IL-6 [59]. While centers worldwide routinely utilize CRP levels to assess CS, levels of vitamin D before development of CS and afterwards can predict reliability of vitamin D as an immune-modulating agent that can alter IL-6 activity and serve as a therapeutic target in treatment of CS [59]. Vitamin D3 supplementation is inexpensive and readily available. Therefore, on the current covid-19 pandemic where a cause-and-effect relationship continues to be explored, it is prudent to follow public health guidelines to ensure vitamin D3 adequacy and daily supplementation with 1000–2000 IU per day.”

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40200-021-00775-6

 

5. Varying recommendations and faulty science used to validate low dosage to relieve from deficiency

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28768407/

https://www.vitamind.net/tagesbedarf/

Heaney, R. P. and Holick, M. F. (2011), Why the IOM recommendations for vitamin D are deficient. J Bone Miner Res, 26: 455–457. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.328

cited: 3. Veugelers PJ, Ekwaru JP. A statistical error in the estimation of the recommended dietary allowance for vitamin D. Nutrients. 2014 Oct 20;6(10):4472-5

Europe (EFSA): 15 µg per day

“The Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) defined an adequate intake (AI) of 15 µg per day for healthy individuals over one year of age. This includes pregnant and lactating women. The DRVs for infants aged 7-11 months have been set at 10 µg per day.”

https://www.efsa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/assets/UL_Summary_tables.pdf

Germany: 20 µg per day

https://www.dge.de/presse/pm/neue-referenzwerte-fuer-vitamin-d/

UK: 10 µg per day

“The new guidance from NICE, SACN and PHE on vitamin D recommendations for the UK is hugely disappointing, and I am sure that this response will be echoed by many other vitamin D researchers in the UK and worldwide.”

“Several groups, including one that I have participated in, have suggested a higher level of vitamin D supplementation. Specifically increasing this to 800 IU/day vitamin D. This is still relatively conservative – groups in the North America are recommending 4,000 IU/day – but is much more likely to improve the vitamin D status of people in the UK. In rejecting this request to increase recommend vitamin D supplementation NICE, SACN and PHE continue to promote the idea of vitamin D ‘toxicity’, despite no evidence of this in trials where up to 4,000 IU/day vitamin D were used. This obsession has become a major hurdle to better vitamin D health in the UK. Many vitamin D researchers have worked tirelessly over the summer to provide a framework in which vitamin D supplementation could be incorporated into the general strategies being used to defeat COVID-19. NICE, SACN and PHE have rejected this, and their ‘new’ recommendations provide little or no help at all for the UK public.”

https://asbmr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jbm4.10405

6. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40200-021-00775-6

 

6. Toxicity

“The National Academy of Medicine has said that taking up to 4,000 Ius per day is safe for the vast majority of people, and risk of hypercalcemia increases at levels over 10,000 Ius per day.”

https://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront/coronavirus-disease-covid-19/vitamin-d-covid-study

“In statements released over the last decade, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) (15) and the Endocrine Society (14) have both concluded that acute VDT is extremely rare”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6158375/

“vitamin D is probably one of the least toxic fat-soluble vitamins, much less toxic than vitamin A”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25939933/

No toxicity with blood levels at 40-60 nanograms/L

explanation from 51:20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha2mLz-Xdpg

“In general, vitamin D toxicity occurs at 25(OH)D blood levels over 500 nmol/L or at a daily intake exceeding 30,000 IU/day over an extended period of time. Supplements taken as directed and up to 4000 IU/day for adolescents and adults (age 9 and up) would not lead to toxicity. Individuals with liver and kidney conditions may have a lower threshold for vitamin D toxicity than the general population1. “

https://mssociety.ca/library/document/38cuveX9sSrF0QEZ1DfOMUaBilKTyRJk/original.pdf

Note the extremely high dosages here, where toxicity occurred:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6115827/

https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/96/7/1911/2833671

Unsubstantiated claims of toxicity

”Recommendations such as ‘now 5,000 IU of vitamin D daily’ (= 125 µg) are dangerous, as that is more than the absolute upper limit for safe intake (upper intake level). The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment even recommends no more than 20 µg (= 800 iE) vitamin D per day. ” (translated from German)

Large studies on toxicity show no toxicity at this level in adults.

https://www.br.de/radio/bayern1/vitamin-d-nebenwirkungen-100.html

 

7. Vitamin D is cheap to produce and cost-effective

https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/9/e007910

“save approximately €5.7 billion and US $3.3 billion annually.” (just for osteoporosis alone!)

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11657-019-0589-y

“Vitamin D supplementation to the older adult population in Germany has the cost‐saving potential of preventing almost 30,000 cancer deaths per year”

https://www.fabresearch.org/viewItem.php?id=14763&listId=1405&categoryId=&navPageId=1404

https://www.healtheuropa.eu/vitamin-d-nhs/92961/

“Given its rare side effects and its relatively wide safety margin, it may be an important, inexpensive, and safe adjuvant therapy for many diseases”

“Many conflicting recent studies are now showing an association between vitamin D deficiency and cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, and depression.”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532266/ https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.201912

 

8. WHO position

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters

 

9. More misleading and false claims by some authorities

From DGE (Germany):

“There are no dietary supplements that can prevent illness with the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).” (translated from German)

https://www.verbraucherzentrale.de/wissen/lebensmittel/auswaehlen-zubereiten-aufbewahren/coronavirus-was-koennen-nahrungsergaenzungsmittel-45640

This statement is false, as it is unproven that protective effects from certain supplements do not exist. One correction could be: “Funding has not been put forth for large randomised studies on the preventative effects of all supplements for covid-19 across the spectrum of genetic differences”

A further falsehood: “Dietary supplements are also not used to treat diseases”

Vitamin D, if suspected or found to be in deficiency (”symptoms of vitamin D deficiency can include muscle weakness, pain, fatigue and depression” and effects can include diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and certain cancers 1) it is often boosted for patients I.e. to “treat” those conditions and prevent worsening outcomes. Whether that is in a supportive function or not doesn’t matter. The goal is to help combat those related conditions.

“From October to March everyone over the age of five will need to rely on dietary sources of vitamin D. Since vitamin D is found only in a small number of foods, it might be difficult to get enough from foods that naturally contain vitamin D and/or fortified foods alone. So everyone, should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin D.”

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/bp-assets/globalassets/croydon/original-blocks/our-services/how-to-get-enough-vitamin-d.pdf 18

Getting enough vitamin D from diet is unrealistic and could have negative side-effects of e.g. heavy metals in sea-fish, expense thereof and risk of overdose of vitamin A and also would exacerbate harm to animals and our ecological system as fisheries are being decimated around the globe

“The first option on the WHO/FAO list is increasing the diversity of foods consumed but this has its challenges because there are very few food sources naturally rich in vitamin D. These are mainly of animal origin, which is highly relevant in the context of the recent calls for a radical transformation of the global food system, with emphasis on increased consumption of plant‐based foods and reductions in animal‐derived foods for many, as part of a more sustainable flexitarian‐type diet (see Buttriss 2020; Steenson & Buttriss 2020).”

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7276911/

The above was cited from below as general guidelines:

https://www.nutrition.org.uk/nutritioninthenews/new-reports/983-newvitamind.html

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