Low Vitamin D Levels Up Risk for COVID-19 Hospitalization

THURSDAY, July 31, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency are tied to higher risk of being hospitalized for COVID-19, according to a study published online July 18 in PLOS ONE.

Maria J. Monroy-Iglesias, Ph.D., from King’s College London, and colleagues used data from the U.K. biobank (151,543 individuals with at least one serum vitamin D level measurement at baseline, 2006 to 2010) to assess associations between vitamin D levels and risk of COVID-19 infection and hospitalization.

The researchers found that vitamin D insufficiency (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.97; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.94 to 1.00) and deficiency (aOR, 0.95; 95 percent CI, 0.90 to 0.99) were associated with slightly lower odds of COVID-19 infection. There was variance by race and ethnicity, with Asian and Black participants having higher odds of COVID-19 infection with vitamin D deficiency, while vitamin D insufficiency in White participants was associated with slightly lower odds of COVID-19 infection. Both vitamin D insufficiency (aOR, 1.19; 95 percent CI, 1.08 to 1.32) and deficiency (aOR, 1.44; 95 percent CI, 1.25 to 1.66) were associated with higher odds of COVID-19 hospitalization.

“COVID-19 may not be the threat it once was, but it still affects peoples’ well-being,” coauthor Kerri Beckmann, Ph.D., from the University of South Australia in Adelaide, said in a statement. “Understanding who is most at risk helps those individuals take extra precautions, including monitoring their vitamin D levels.”

Abstract/Full Text