💊 Study challenges a longstanding myth about Covid-19 and Vitamin D

Friday

Sept 23 2022

At the height of the pandemic, when we knew so little about SARS-CoV-2 and the disease it causes humans, some preliminary research suggested that Vitamin D could help prevent Covid-19 or even make catching it less severe. Throughout our lockdown days, many people were popping the sunshine vitamin in an attempt to stave off the novel and scary virus. Now, two and a half years into the pandemic, researchers have been zeroing in on whether Vitamin D actually helps prevent Covid-19.

Part of the appeal of vitamin D is that it is known to have an influence on the immune system. But researchers have yet to piece apart exactly what role it plays and whether having extra vitamin D is beneficial. In two recent studies, researchers found no significant benefit to taking vitamin D and preventing Covid-19. While it might seem like a bummer it might not be a reason to quite taking the vitamin. A significant portion of the U.S. population is indeed deficient in the vitamin so even if it won't prevent Covid, it is still doing your body — and likely your immune system — some good.

What's New

MIND AND BODY

A NEW STUDY CHALLENGES A LONGSTANDING MYTH ABOUT COVID-19 AND VITAMIN D

You can't live without vitamins; that’s an absolute no. These macronutrients are the grease to our gears, making sure all our bodily systems are running and operating in mint condition. A deficiency in any one of the essential 13 vitamins can lead to a whole host of health problems, sickness, and possibly death.

During the pandemic, there was one vitamin in particular — vitamin D — that received quite a hullabaloo as a potential therapeutic agent against Covid-19. This was in due part to vitamin D’s influence on the immune system and being potentially protective against respiratory infections based on past research. Notably, when then-President Donald Trump got the coronavirus, his physician revealed that along with a course of the antiviral drug remdesivir and antibody cocktail Regeneron, Trump’s treatment regimen included a vitamin D supplement.

But there’s been a lot of back and forth over whether supplementing with vitamin D actually helps make Covid-19 less severe or even prevents the disease to begin with.

GHOST PROTOCOL

MARVEL INTERVIEW REVEALS THE THUNDERBOLTS MOVIE'S SECRET WEAPON

The last time Marvel fans saw Hannah John-Kamen’s Ghost, she was getting help for her quantum-induced condition from Team Ant-Man. Then, the Blip happened. Now Ghost is still having problems connecting with people — literally.

When discussing the upcoming Thunderbolts, slated to hit theaters on July 23, 2024, John-Kamen said Ghost will have to learn to work with others after a life spent in isolation. That’s a bit of retconning from the origins established in her debut, Ant-Man and the Wasp, but John-Kamen’s words still hold up as a teaser for the Thunderbolts’ team dynamics.

At D23, ComicBook.com asked Hannah John-Kamen what fans can expect from her in Thunderbolts, where John-Kamen will co-star with Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Sebastian Stan, Olga Kurylenko, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Wyatt Russell.

CULT OF NINTENDO

SPLATOON 3 IS THE GLORIOUS PINNACLE OF NINTENDO'S STYLE AGENDA

Splatoon has always been a sexy game. That’s not an adjective often associated with Nintendo’s output, unless well-honed design and extreme levels of polish get you excited. But everything surrounding this world, built up from nothing a mere seven years ago and twice iterated into its current form, is supremely confident. The genre deconstruction of a third-person shooter that replaces bullets with cephalopod ink is evidence of a team that feels assured in its decisions.

Splatoon 3 makes players feel confident too, thanks to an ever-expanding wardrobe and limitless customization. You’re also empowered by a simple, yet brilliant design conceit: You do not miss. Even when your ammo falls on the ground, you are hitting a target. It’s a rare example of a concession to newcomers and inexperienced players that doesn’t patronize. Instead, it takes the limitation of a choice based on accessibility and inclusion and builds that limitation into the very fabric of the experience — and the game is better for it.

This week in science

Webb spots Neptune’s rings and more: Understand the world through 9 images

NASA uncovered possible biosignatures on Mars the week of September 15–21, as the Webb telescope got the clearest view of Neptune in three decades.

Here are the biggest science stories of the week, told in 9 stunning images.

DRACARYS!

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON JUST MADE THE BEST GAME OF THRONES TRADITION EVEN BETTER

There are some things you can always count on. The Joker will always escape from Arkham Asylum. Marvel movies will (almost) always end with a post-credits scene. And a wedding in Westeros isn’t complete until someone is dead.

HBO’s prequel series House of the Dragon continues this tradition, and it somehow even manages to improve on the beloved Game of Thrones formula in one very surprising way.

Meanwhile...

Researchers uncover how your brain knows something is food

This new Webb Telescope picture of the beloved Orion Nebula is glorious

'Daredevil: Born Again' won't be the Netflix follow-up fans wanted

'She-Hulk' Episode 5 finally solves its biggest Marvel mystery

Today in history: On September 23, 1846, astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle became the first person ever to observe the planet Neptune.

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💊 Study challenges a longstanding myth about Covid-19 and Vitamin D

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