Exposure to sunlight may lower the risk of Covid deaths – And vitamin D levels has little to with it
Despite India stepping up its coronavirus vaccine drive, the number of coronavirus cases in India have soared again. As the country continues to grapple with the deadly second wave, scientists and health officials are coming up with different ways to combat the coronavirus. At this moment, India’s death toll due to coronavirus has increased to 1,67,694. Despite the gradual emergence of the second wave of Covid, mortality rates this time is lower as compare to the time when the daily surge was at the same level in the country. And stepping out in the sunlight may further reduce the risk. A new study has found that increased exposure to sunlight could reduce the mortality rates from Covid-19.
Increased Exposure To Sunlight May Reduce Covid-19 Deaths
The study published in the British Journal of Dermatology
found that sunnier areas are associated with fewer deaths from the
deadly coronavirus. Exposure to Sun’s UVA rays is an effective way to
prevent mortality rates from Covid-19. As per the researchers from the
study, UVA makes up 95 per cent of the Sun’s UV rays and infiltrates
more deeply into the skin.
For the study, the team compared all recorded deaths from Covid-19 in the US January to April 2020 with UV levels. After the analysis, researchers from the University of Edinburgh, Sydney found people who were exposed to high level of UVA rays were at a lower risk of death from Covid-19. The researchers were repeated in England and Italy with the same results.
The Reason Explained – And Its Not Vitamin D
Several studies have shown that vitamin D is a vital nutrient that helps regulate the immune system. Also, the UV radiation exposure on the skin leads to the production of vitamin D and UV intensity, which is higher in hotter places. But the team found the correlation of Sun’s UV rays and reduced Covid-19 fatalities has little to do with vitamin D.
While the sun’s UV rays helps the body make nutrient vitamin D that is important for your bones, blood cells and immune system, the researchers did not find a link between higher levels of vitamin D and reduced number of Covid deaths. However, nitric oxide released by the skin due to sunlight exposure could be a reason as this can likely decrease the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to replicate as it has been found in many studies.