Low vs. Moderate to High Dose Vitamin D for Prevention of COVID-19
The purpose of this study is to compare the risks of COVID-19 in individuals from Chicagoland communities randomized to low (400 IU/day) vs. moderate (4,000 IU/day) or high (10,000 IU/day) dose vitamin D.
‣ Subjects are able to participate if they:
• Are 18 years or older.
• Live or work in the Chicagloland area (Illinois counties: Cook, Lake, McHenry, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Grundy, Will, and Kankakee; Indiana counties: Lake and Porter).
• Are interested in vitamin D as a potential preventive measure against COVID-19 in which they self-administer a daily dose of vitamin D during the 9-month study period.
• Are willing to attend the laboratory for drop-in appointments at UChicago Medicine or Rush University Medical Center every 3 months at 4 time points over a 9-month period for blood draws measuring COVID-19 antibodies, calcium, vitamin D and PTH levels.
• Are willing to complete self-report measures at 4 time points over the course of 9 months by completing a 15-minute survey at intake by telephone or via web and 10-minute web-based follow-up surveys.
‣ Subjects are excluded from study participation if they:
• Report ever having a positive COVID-19 PCR test result
• Report being pregnant, planning to become pregnant, and/or report breastfeeding during the study period.
• Report a history of chronic kidney disease, including a history of abnormal GFR and/or creatinine.
• Report a history of hyperparathyroidism.
• Report a history of increased falls.
• Report a history of hypercalcemia.
• Report a history of gastrointestinal absorptive disorders, including having undergone bariatric surgery.
• Report a history of kidney stones (1 in past year or 2 in lifetime).
• Report already taking more than 400 IU of vitamin D daily as recommended by their health care provider, excluding multivitamins and excluding supplements that include vitamin D and calcium together.
⁃ Report taking D2.
⁃ Report a history of sarcoidosis.
⁃ Screen positive for hypercalcemia during the initial blood test or follow-up blood tests.
⁃ Screen positive for primary hyperparathyroidism during the initial blood test.
⁃ Screen positive for COVID-19 antibodies during the initial blood test.
⁃ Have vitamin D levels of \>100ng/mL at study start, or \>250ng/mL during follow-up labs.
⁃ Are unwilling to provide blood samples during quarterly blood tests.
⁃ Are unwilling to take daily vitamin D.