A deficiency of vitamin D was found to be ‘highly prevalent’ among infected patients.

Hospitalized COVID-19 patients exhibited improved outcomes after being given vitamin D treatments, according to a new study from Japan.

The study, published in ScienceDirect, aimed to evaluate how vitamin D could help in preventing severe illness and mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. It found that vitamin D deficiency was “highly prevalent” among COVID patients, and supplementing their diets with vitamin D improved symptoms and aided in recovery.

For the treatment, researchers used a vitamin D analog, 1-hydroxy-vitamin D, also known as alfacalcidol. Vitamin D analogs are drugs used to treat disorders caused by the deficiency of vitamin D.