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Have you been loading up on immune-boosting supplements such as vitamin C, D and zinc in the hope to stay safe during the Covid-19 pandemic? It may not help much. A new study has revealed that taking supplements may not reduce your risk of dying from the virus.
Researchers at The University of Toledo in Ohio, the US, said that there's no evidence that these supplements, which have also been dubbed as an alternative against vaccines, can improve the clinical outcome of Covid-19. In The results of their study appeared in the journal Clinical Nutrition ESPEN.
For the study, the research team reviewed 26 peer-reviewed studies from across the globe that included over 5,600 hospitalised Covid-19 patients. They found no reduction in mortality for patients being treated with vitamin D, C or zinc compared to those who did not take any of these supplements.
Treatment with vitamin C and zinc was not associated with shorter hospital stays or lowering the chance of a patient being put on a ventilator. Among individuals who had been taking vitamin D prior to contracting Covid-19, the researchers found no significant difference in their mortality rate.
While vitamin D may be associated with lesser risk of intubation and shorter hospital stays, further study is required to validate that finding, the researcher stated.
In conclusion, the experts underscored that the study doesn't mean vitamin and mineral supplements are bad or should be avoided, but that they are not effective at preventing Covid deaths. Taking supplements may be beneficial for some Covid patients who are malnourished or otherwise deficient in micronutrients, this is because their bodies are lacking essential nutrient and not because vitamin D or vitamin C are effective against Covid.
"If you don't medically need these supplements, don't take them thinking they're protective against Covid. They're not going to prevent you from getting it and they're not going to prevent you from dying," said Dr. Azizullah Beran, an internal medicine resident at the University's College of Medicine and Life Sciences, as quoted by IANS.
Meanwhile, another study has suggested that vitamin D deficiency may increase the risk of developing severe COVID-19 symptoms, particularly associated with the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
The finding, recently published in PLOS ON, is based on data collected from 253 people who were hospitalised between April 2020 and February 2021 (at a time before vaccines were available) in Israel. About half of these participants were deficient in vitamin D, and they were more likely to develop a severe or critical case of COVID-19, as compared to those who had sufficient vitamin D levels.
According to the researchers, those with vitamin D deficiency were 14 times more likely to experience severe COVID-19 complications, such as needing a respirator to breathe and even respiratory failure, septic shock or multiple organ dysfunction. Further, vitamin D deficiency was associated with a significant increase in the risk of Covid death, 25.6 per cent mortality rate versus just 2.3 per cent for those who weren't lacking vitamin D.
This study doesn't mean that vitamin D alone can save you from severe infection. Several experts noted that vitamin D supplements should be considered only if you have low vitamin D levels and taken under the guidance of a doctor.
Paul Spearman, M.D., director of the division of infectious diseases at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, told an American women's magazine vitamin D cannot block COVID-19 infection on its own, and vaccines are key to utilizing any potential benefits of the vitamin.
He stated that vaccination is the best way to prevent severe COVID-19 and "the evidence here is undeniable."