Last Updated on July 15, 2025
People with COVID-19 and diabetes, both Type 1 and Type 2, have special considerations. People with diabetes are at a slightly higher risk of contracting COVID-19 when exposed, but more importantly, at higher risk of becoming sick and having the worst outcome when infected. Well-managed glucose levels reduce these risks over time. When diabetes is not well managed, immune responses get impaired, and chronic inflammation exists. The pages below are reposts of our newsletters we’ve explicitly delivered on COVID-19 and Diabetes. Sign up for our newsletter so you don’t miss out on any more of this great information.
Special Suggestions for Handling COVID-19 with Diabetes
You may have read and heard some of the information in this section before, but we bring all these suggestions together to help you when you need to follow them. This page outlines several precautions that everyone is being asked to take to help limit the spread of COVID-19.
Covid-19 and Diabetes – A Special Threat
Many people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes have high glucose levels and excess weight, which makes them more susceptible to contracting a COVID-19 infection. More importantly, these place them at a substantially higher risk for worse outcomes when infected. Poorly managed diabetes, excess weight, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease all promote chronic inflammation and oxidation that hinder immune responses.
COVID-19 Ain’t the Common Seasonal Flu!
Covid-19 (COrona VIrus Disease-2019), the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), started in 2019. The Corona name arises from the multiple “spike” proteins on the virus’s outer shell that resemble a crown or corona. Covid-19 uses its spike proteins like a crowbar to break into a cell, hijack the cell’s enzymes and materials to make multiple copies of itself, and kill the cell.
Healthy Vitamin D Levels Improve COVID-19 Outcomes
Amid the rush to find effective treatments to counter Covid-19’s attacks on the body, a recently published research paper has uncovered a promising therapy. The active form of vitamin D, available by prescription as calcifediol, appears to improve COVID-19 outcomes significantly.
Supplements and Medications That Counteract COVID-19, Whether or Not You Have Diabetes
Over-the-counter treatments, such as vitamin D, famotidine, zinc with quercetin, and vitamin C, show promise for significantly reducing damage during a COVID-19 infection. They strengthen your immune system, limit viral entry into cells, and reduce viral multiplication. Several promising prescription medications with anti-viral activity are undergoing testing.
Vitamin D and Covid-19 | Pepcid vs Protein Pump Inhibitors | Zinc and Quercitin | Vitamin C and Covid-19