Vitamin K and COVID

[Charlotte]

Is it true that certain forms of Vitamin K can help protect against COVID-19? I heard this on a talk show the other day and I was wondering if there was any science behind it. Other than Vitamin C giving the immune system a boost, I didn't know that other vitamins and minerals could help protect against certain viruses.

[enviroTodd]

No. It's not. Early research has shown that many people who have been hospitalized or who have died from COVID-19 were deficient. Correlation is not causation. It's an observation. There has yet to be any proof. It could be that the people whose deficiencies they measured also had other medical issues in common which contributed both to their deficiency and their increased risk of harm from the virus. If this is the case, it would have nothing to do with the average healthy person.
Vitamin K is good for you and being deficient in it is certainly not recommended. This is particularly true as your body needs it to counteract some of the effects of the virus on the body. However, many of us get all the vitamin K we need through our diets. If you're worried that you're deficient, talk to your doctor to find out for sure. You're likely fine. Supplementing vitamin K when you are not deficient can easily lead to toxicity and unwanted side effects. Who knows, that could also place you at risk of a worse case of the disease. If you want to be sure your levels are where they should be, eat both plant and animal sources of this fat soluble vitamin (they are different. We need both types - research types K1 and K2). That's likely best for your overall health regardless of the pandemic. Anything else should absolutely involve your doctor's recommendation.

[Bean]

What foods have vitamin K? In case I'm deficient, I should eat more of them.

[Freddy]

What foods have vitamin K? In case I'm deficient, I should eat more of them.

You're probably not deficient for two reasons - 1, you don't actually need that much vitamin K in your diet, so it's easy to get too much and 2 - you likely naturally eat foods that contain it. There is K1 and K2 (they're both the same) the difference is where they are sourced and the fact that K2 is apparently better absorbed by the body. K1 is in green leafy veggies, blueberries and other fruits. K2 is in meat, eggs, high-fat dairy, etc.

I also agree with enviroTodd. Simply because they've found a correlation, this doesn't prove anything. It definitely warrants further research, but until they actually prove something, it doesn't mean anything. Just focus on eating healthy and living a healthy lifestyle, the same things you would do to keep your body healthy to avoid getting sick, period.

[BabyButtons]

No. It's not. Early research has shown that many people who have been hospitalized or who have died from COVID-19 were deficient. Correlation is not causation. It's an observation. There has yet to be any proof. It could be that the people whose deficiencies they measured also had other medical issues in common which contributed both to their deficiency and their increased risk of harm from the virus. If this is the case, it would have nothing to do with the average healthy person.
Vitamin K is good for you and being deficient in it is certainly not recommended. This is particularly true as your body needs it to counteract some of the effects of the virus on the body. However, many of us get all the vitamin K we need through our diets. If you're worried that you're deficient, talk to your doctor to find out for sure. You're likely fine. Supplementing vitamin K when you are not deficient can easily lead to toxicity and unwanted side effects. Who knows, that could also place you at risk of a worse case of the disease. If you want to be sure your levels are where they should be, eat both plant and animal sources of this fat soluble vitamin (they are different. We need both types - research types K1 and K2). That's likely best for your overall health regardless of the pandemic. Anything else should absolutely involve your doctor's recommendation.

Well said, enviroTodd! It is important to understand the difference between correlation and causation. We're always so eager to find a solution or an answer that when something is suggested we want to jump on it hoping that it will be all we need to do to avoid/be protected from or treat/cure something. I mean, look how many of us are still waiting for a weight loss miracle pill??

[enviroTodd]

Well said, enviroTodd! It is important to understand the difference between correlation and causation. We're always so eager to find a solution or an answer that when something is suggested we want to jump on it hoping that it will be all we need to do to avoid/be protected from or treat/cure something. I mean, look how many of us are still waiting for a weight loss miracle pill??

Very true. To be fair to humanity it's easy to slip into the habit of believing that just because there is a link, there's an explanation of the cause. Media headlines do it to us all the time as click bait and it's not easy to train our brains to remind ourselves of the correlation is not causation fact every time Especially when it's something we want to be true. Still, with so many warped claims showing up everywhere all the time from all sources, we do need to force our own filters into our minds.

[Charlotte]

No. It's not. Early research has shown that many people who have been hospitalized or who have died from COVID-19 were deficient. Correlation is not causation. It's an observation. There has yet to be any proof. It could be that the people whose deficiencies they measured also had other medical issues in common which contributed both to their deficiency and their increased risk of harm from the virus. If this is the case, it would have nothing to do with the average healthy person.
Vitamin K is good for you and being deficient in it is certainly not recommended. This is particularly true as your body needs it to counteract some of the effects of the virus on the body. However, many of us get all the vitamin K we need through our diets. If you're worried that you're deficient, talk to your doctor to find out for sure. You're likely fine. Supplementing vitamin K when you are not deficient can easily lead to toxicity and unwanted side effects. Who knows, that could also place you at risk of a worse case of the disease. If you want to be sure your levels are where they should be, eat both plant and animal sources of this fat soluble vitamin (they are different. We need both types - research types K1 and K2). That's likely best for your overall health regardless of the pandemic. Anything else should absolutely involve your doctor's recommendation.

Thank you for being so candid enviroTodd.