Hajdu says Vitamin-D COVID-19 protection is “fake news”
In the House of Commons on Thursday, Liberal Health Minister Patty Hajdu alleged that vitamin D supplementation as an additional preventive measure against COVID-19 infection was “fake news.”
Hajdu made the remarks in response to a query from Independent MP Derek Sloan regarding the reason behind Health Canada’s lack of an active recommendation for Canadians to take the supplement.
At least 75 recent studies demonstrate that having adequate levels of vitamin D both lowers one’s risk of contracting COVID-19 and improves one’s chances of recovering from infection.
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For decades, it has been proven that Canadians, particularly in the winter, have inadequate levels of vitamin D.
Can the minister clarify why the majority of Canadians are getting enough vitamin D, despite Health Canada’s website actively dissuading supplementation?
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The Public Health Agency of Canada only posts credible, evidence-based documents, naturally under the guidance of our Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Tam, and the many scientists who work for us, said Hajdu.
“I would encourage the member opposite to not fall prey to the myriad of fake news articles that are circulating around the internet about ways that people can protect themselves from COVID,” he added.
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What Canadians need right now is trust, and they need to be able to trust the information that their elected officials share. I would advise the member to get his sources from reliable websites.
Despite Hajdu’s claim that “credible sites” have not discussed Vitamin D as a preventative measure, numerous Canadian mainstream news outlets have published features highlighting research into the supplement.
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CTV News, for example, has published a number of articles highlighting Vitamin D research since at least 2020.
One article from October 27, 2020, was titled “More than 80% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients had vitamin D deficiency: study,” while another from March 21, 2021, was titled “High vitamin D levels may protect against COVID-19, particularly in Black people: study.”
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The CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster, has also published several pieces that investigate Vitamin D as a potential treatment for COVID-19.
The US National Institute of Health has noted that there is insufficient data to recommend “either for or against” the use of vitamin D as a COVID-19 preventative measure or treatment, despite the fact that the US government has not made this recommendation explicitly.
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Health departments in other nations, such as the National Health Service in the UK, advise people to take 10 micrograms of vitamin D daily during the winter for overall health, but they also point out that more research is required to determine whether it can prevent or treat COVID-19.