Do Vitamin D Zinc And Other Supplements Help Prevent Covid
- By Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing
The appeal of safe, natural treatments is undeniable. Its true for age-old conditions such as the common cold, and for new diseases, especially if they have no known cure. So it makes sense that there would be a lot of interest in supplements for COVID-19, whether as prevention or treatment.
Indeed, zinc, melatonin, vitamin C, vitamin D, and other supplements have been commonly prescribed from the earliest days of the pandemic.
But do they work?
/ Vitamin A And Vitamin D
When a national survey revealed that one in five people have low vitamin D levels in the UK, we all stocked up on the sunshine supplement, but should we have also opted for its lesser known ally? Vitamin A is required for the normal development of our immune function and the epithelial cells found in the linings of the body such as the mouth, gut and respiratory tract, Westra tells us. Whereas vitamin D protects us against viral respiratory infections, therefore the two work well together. Take vitamin D3 and A with a meal that has some fat in it as they are fat soluble vitamins and your body will absorb them better this way.
Are There Any At
So, whats out there to treat the early stages of COVID-19 at home?
Honestly, theres not a whole lot, Dr. Peter S. Staats, founder of the Division of Pain Medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Maryland who served as division chief of that department for a decade, told Healthline.
Staats said he tried the vitamin C and zinc combination when fighting a virus and found that at high doses, they caused a lot of side effects, including nausea, and didnt change the outcome much.
That means, he said, right now there are few, if any, known therapies for COVID-19 that are sold over the counter and that can be used at home.
He expects that to change.
We are going to have rapidly evolving living guidelines for COVID soon, he said. We need more for early treatment.
Dr. Brian Thomas Garibaldi, director of the Johns Hopkins Biocontainment Unit and an associate professor of medicine, said he wasnt surprised at the study results.
There has been conflicting evidence for years, he said.
Having just stepped off the ICU floor to speak to Healthline, Garibaldi said that on the front lines, theyre hoping for a clear way to keep people out of the hospital. I wish we had a magic bullet.
That wont be an easy find, he said.
Its pretty clear there is not a cure-all for these things, he said.
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Here Is How Vitamin C And Zinc Can Improve Your Immune Response And Help In Fighting Against Coronavirus
With the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, demand of two supplements has increased. Also, the sale of foods containing these nutrients has seen a huge boost. But why is this happening? Do vitamin C and zinc have a role to play in the prevention of coronavirus infection? If yes, how exactly they help? These are some of the questions that may be arising in your mind. We are here to answer all of them.Also Read – Mild Urinary Tract Infection: Yogurt And Vitamin C Rich Food May Help
Vitamin C and zinc are known to be immunity boosting nutrients. Their intake can increase your bodys ability to fight against pathogens and protect you from infection. Foods containing vitamin C include oranges, broccoli, guava, kiwi etc. Whereas items rich in zinc are legumes, seeds, eggs, whole grains, meat etc. Also Read – Men, Beware! Taking Zinc And Folic Acid Supplements Won’t Improve Your Fertility
How Magnesium And Calcium Work Together
Magnesium helps bones develop and remain dense and strong. Calcium, too, is essential to bone healthnot only in maintaining strength but in slowing down the natural decrease in bone density that occurs as we get older.
Your body doesnt need magnesium to absorb calcium, but it does need it to:
- prevent calcium getting into soft tissues, kidneys, arteries and cartilage, where it can be toxic
- support calcium in regulating the heartbeat
- help the vitamins that facilitate calcium absorption to work properly
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How To Buy Vitamins
Supplements are not regulated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration or USDA. So how do you know youre getting safe supplements?
Patton recommends doing the following before buying:
- Consult your doctor. Before adding any supplements, make sure you talk to your doctor to make sure you need them and that they wont interact with any medications.
- Look for third-party testing. Some companies will send their products to an outside company to verify that the ingredients are accurate.
- Look for the USP seal. The United States Pharmacopeia is an independent, nonprofit organization whose goal is to supply safe, quality products.
- Consider ingredients. Stick with the basics. Vitamins with added ingredients or claims arent necessary and can cause side effects.
So while supplements can be helpful, be mindful of your diet and what you eat. Dont use supplements to replace healthy eating, says Patton.
What Drugs And Food Should I Avoid While Taking Vitamin C Plus Zinc
Avoid taking more than one multivitamin product at the same time unless your doctor tells you to. Taking similar products together can result in an overdose or serious side effects.
Avoid the use of salt substitutes in your diet if your multivitamin and mineral contains potassium. If you are on a low-salt diet, ask your doctor before taking a vitamin or mineral supplement.
Do not take this medicine with milk, other dairy products, calcium supplements, or antacids that contain calcium. Calcium may make it harder for your body to absorb certain minerals.
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Risks Of Too Much Zinc
Too much zinc in supplement form can trigger adverse effects that include nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and headaches. Excess zinc can also alter the bodys copper status and iron function, reduce immunity, and lower blood levels of good HDL cholesterol. The Tolerable Upper Intake Level for zinc, which includes both foods and supplements combined, is 40 mg per day for all adults 19 and over. A long-term intake above the UL increases the risk of adverse health effects, unless supplemental zinc is prescribed and monitored by a physician for a specific medical condition.
In other words, more zinc isnt better, and as noted, some of the risks associated with excess zinc are similar to those of a zinc deficiency. If your doctor or registered dietitian has recommended a zinc supplement for any reason, ask about the dosage, form, frequency and length of use, and when and how to take it.
Why Supplements Might Help Prevent Or Treat Covid
While science can show whether a drug is effective, we may not always know why. When antibiotics were first discovered in the 1920s, there was limited understanding of the biology involved. But lacking an explanation for their benefit did not discourage doctors from recommending these highly effective treatments.
If its less clear whether a drug works, biologic plausibility that is, a logical and well-understood reason why the drug should work increases the expectation that it might.
So, what suggests that vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, and melatonin might help work against any virus?
- Vitamin C is an antioxidant that has long been promoted as a key player in healthy immune function.
- Zinc may have antiviral activity, whether by improving immune cell function that counters viral infections or by reducing the ability of viruses to multiply.
- Some evidence suggests that combining vitamin C and zinc may limit the duration and severity of cold symptoms.
The cases for vitamin D and melatonin differ. While there is also evidence that vitamin D and melatonin may have positive effects on immune function, a specific antiviral effect remains unproven.
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Best Zinc Food Sources
Unlike some nutrients that are more difficult to obtain from food alone, such as vitamin D, zinc is readily found in both animal and plant-based foods. Top animal sources include oysters , beef, crab, lobster, pork, and yogurt. Plant sources include vegetarian baked beans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, cashews, chickpeas, lentils, quinoa, oatmeal, and zinc-fortified plant foods, such as cereal.
The amount you need daily can easily be obtained through a normal, balanced diet. For example, the recommended dietary allowances for zinc are 11 mg per day for men ages 19 and up, and 8 mg for women 19 and over. The requirements for women who are pregnant or lactating are 11 mg and 12 mg respectively. A three-ounce beef patty provides 5.3 mg. One cup of vegetarian baked beans provides 5.8 mg.
In other words, even vegetarians can eat enough zinc. According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, studies show that adult vegetarians have zinc intakes that are within the normal range. In addition, an adult’s body can adapt to a vegetarian diet in ways that help optimize zinc status, including increased absorption and retention of zinc.
Obtaining your zinc through food broadens your overall nutrient intake, since zinc-containing foods offer other important nutrients, which may include protein, fiber, other vitamins and minerals, and health-protective antioxidants. It also negates the potential risks tied to taking in too much zinc in supplement form.
Can Type 1 Diabetics Take Vitamin C
Type 1 diabetics generally have low vitamin C levels. By increasing the amount of vitamin c in the bloodstream, the amount of sorbitol may be lowered. Sorbitol is a harmful sugar when it accumulates, and its presence may lead to increased risk of diabetic complications such as retinopathy, neuropathy and kidney damage.
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Can Diabetics Take Vitamin C And Zinc
Studies evaluating the effects of micronutrients supplementation on various degrees and manifestations of diabetic neuropathy have shown that pharmacological treatment with vitamin C and E, Magnesium and Zinc supplementation ameliorate severity of neuropathy symptoms in diabetic patients with mild to moderate …
Never Take Vitamin C And Zinc Together Public Health Expert Explains Why
If you take vitamin C and zinc mineral supplements together, stop this practice! Here is why you should not take them together.
Vitamin C and zinc are two very important nutrients that one needs to take during this pandemic situation. Doctors recommend that you must consume foods rich in vitamin C and zinc to boost your immune system. If you are unable to get it through your diet, take supplements. But do you know that some supplements shouldnt be taken together? A lot of you might be taking zinc and vitamin C supplements together but in this article, we will tell you why this is a deadly combination.
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What Does Recommended Daily Allowance Mean
The recommended daily allowance for vitamins and minerals is the average daily intake a person needs to avoid deficiencies and stay healthy. Men and women often have different vitamin and mineral recommendations.
There are different ways to measure the RDA. Vitamins and minerals that are needed in larger doses are measured in milligrams and those that the body needs less of are measured in micrograms. There are 1,000 micrograms in 1 milligram. Each vitamin and mineral has a specific RDA.
/7here Are Some Tips To Absorb More Nutrients
Vitamin C and Zinc are the two crucial nutrients required to boost your immune health, which can help to fight diseases causing pathogens. Adding these two nutrients to your diet at the current time when the country is reeling under the burden of COVID-19 can help your body to fight the virus and support a speedy recovery. The best and the safest way to get these two nutrients is from your daily diet. There are several food items that are rich in Vitamin C and Zinc and can help you meet your Recommended Dietary Intake . But to ensure that your body is absorbing these nutrients properly you should consume them correctly. Here we will tell you how to absorb the maximum amount of nutrients from your diet.
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/7the Right Way To Take Vitamin C
Studies suggest that our body’s capacity to absorb Vitamin C decreases by 50 per cent when we take more than 1000 mg of this vitamin in a day. All the extra amount of the vitamin is moved out of the body through urine.
It is best to take Vitamin C in the raw form as heat and light can destroy the amount of vitamin in the particular food. Cooking Vitamin C rich food for a long time at a high temperature can break down the vitamin. Apart from that, cooking in water can also make the vitamin seep into the liquid and when the liquid is not consumed you may not get the vitamin. Stir-frying or blanching are the best ways to preserve the vitamin. Also, try to eat fruits that are ripe as they contain the maximum amount of Vitamin C.
Learn About Your Vitamins And Minerals: Vitamin C And Zinc
Inspired by the Sight and Life publication Vitamins and Minerals: A Brief Guide, we continue with our Learn About Your Vitamins and Minerals series by discussing vitamin C and zinc.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, is a water-soluble vitamin that plays an important role in many physiological processes. As an antioxidant, vitamin C protects cells of the body from damaging effects of free radicals and helps build healthy immune systems. Vitamin C stimulates the activity of white blood cells which support our defenses against infections, such as a common cold. Vitamin C also plays a role in improving the absorption of non-heme iron in the gut, and regulating cellular iron uptake and metabolism.
Many animals synthesize their own vitamin C, however, humans cannot do that because we lack the enzyme gluconolactone oxidase which is involved in vitamin C synthesis. Therefore we need vitamin C in our diets. The primary natural plant sources of vitamin C include citrus fruits , tomatoes, and green leafy vegetables . Other sources include dairy products, kidney and the liver of those animals who are able to produce their own vitamin C.
Deficiency can be prevented by adequate consumption of foods rich in vitamin C, or through supplements.
Zinc
Zinc deficiency can be prevented by adequate consumption of foods rich in zinc. Fortifying staple foods and processed foods with zinc, as well as taking supplements also helps to prevent deficiency.
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How To Take It
The best way to take vitamin C supplements is 2 – 3 times per day, with meals, depending on the dosage. Some studies suggest that adults should take 250 – 500 mg twice a day for any benefit. Talk to your doctor before taking more than 1,000 mg of vitamin C on a daily basis and before giving vitamin C to a child.
Daily intake of dietary vitamin C is listed below.
Pediatric
- Men over 18 years: 90 mg
- Women over 18 years: 75 mg
- Pregnant women 14 – 18 years: 80 mg
- Pregnant women over 18 years: 85 mg
- Breastfeeding women 14 – 18 years: 115 mg
- Breastfeeding women over 18 years: 120 mg
Because smoking depletes vitamin C, people who smoke may need an additional 35 mg per day.
The dose recommended to prevent or treat many of the conditions mentioned in the Uses section is often 500 – 1,000 mg per day.
What Are Some Other Side Effects Of This Drug
All drugs may cause side effects. However, many people have no side effects or only have minor side effects. Call your doctor or get medical help if any of these side effects or any other side effects bother you or do not go away:
- Upset stomach or throwing up.
- Diarrhea.
- Constipation.
These are not all of the side effects that may occur. If you have questions about side effects, call your doctor. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.
You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-332-1088. You may also report side effects at https://www.fda.gov/medwatch.
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/7the Recommended Daily Intake Of Zinc
The recommended dietary allowance for zinc in men above 19 years is 11 mg a day and for women, it is 8 mg. During pregnancy and lactation, the requirement of zinc slightly increases. Pregnancy and breastfeeding women must take slightly more at 11 mg and 12 mg of zinc respectively. Taking high amounts of zinc might cause fever, coughing, stomach pain, fatigue, and many other problems. Consuming more than 100 mg of supplemental zinc daily for 10 or more years increases the risk of prostate cancer. Up to 40 mg of zinc is considered safe for consumption.
What Is The Most Important Information I Should Know About Vitamin C Plus Zinc
Multivitamins and minerals can cause serious or life-threatening side effects if taken in large doses. Do not take more of this medicine than directed on the label or prescribed by your doctor.
Ask a doctor or pharmacist if it is safe for you to use multivitamins and minerals if you have other medical conditions or allergies.
Ask a doctor before using this medicine if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Your dose needs may be different during pregnancy. Some vitamins and minerals can be harmful if taken in large doses. You may need to use a specially formulated prenatal vitamin.
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