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Dr Hilary urges public to take a vitamin D supplement during winter months

18 June 2020, 10:58 | Updated: 18 June 2020, 11:10

Dr Hilary Jones urges people to take vitamin D

A study has found that countries with lower vitamin D levels have had higher fatalities of Covid-19.

Dr Hilary Jones has urged the public to consider taking a vitamin D supplement during winter, following the news that the government have ordered a review of its benefits in the fight against coronavirus.

It was announced yesterday that a study carried out by Anglia Ruskin University found that European countries with lower vitamin D levels had more Covid-19 deaths.

Dr Hilary has recommended that the public take a vitamin D supplement. Picture: ITV

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is now looking into the benefits of the vitamin in the fight against coronavirus.

Speaking about the news on Good Morning Britain today, Dr Hilary said: "Well, we recommend vitamin D in the winter months for everybody in the UK because we make most of our vitamin D through sunlight on our skin."

He added: "So, the action of sunlight is not very much there in the UK.

Vitamin D is absorbed in the body through sunlight, but can also be taken as a supplement (stock image). Picture: Getty

Dr Hilary also spoke about the higher death rate among BAME people who have the illness, and suggested that there might be a possible link to vitamin D.

He said: "It’s interesting, we know the pigment in their skin being higher reduces the production of vitamin D, so it could be a factor in why they’re so vulnerable with Covid-19.

"It does no harm for people to take an extra dose.

"There’s no concrete evidence that taking those supplements will reduce the risk of Covid-19, but there’s no harm in taking it either, it’s a sensible precaution at this stage."

Dr Hilary chatted to Susanna Reid and Ben Shephard on today's GMB. Picture: ITV

Dr Hilary said that vitamin D is "known to boost the immunity and protect against viruses and bacteria more generally" adding: "And also, we know multiple sclerosis, for example, is more common the further you got north in the northern hemisphere, so the less sunlight you get is linked with multiple sclerosis.

"So there are many interesting factors that link vitamin D to immunity, so like I say there’s no harm to take this supplement in the winter months."

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