Everyone is looking for a leg up in the fight to keep COVID-19 at stake. However, two supplements that experts hoped to provide a little extra protection against the disease do not agree at all, a new study shows.
Taking zinc or vitamin C (ascorbic acid) – or a combination thereof – does not reduce the severity or duration of COVID-19-related symptoms, say researchers at Cleveland Clinic.
Their findings were recently published in the American journal JAMA Network Open.
Previously, there was widespread speculation that vitamins and supplements such as zinc and vitamin C could provide benefits to people hoping to avoid or treat COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Zinc is known to promote immune function, and it plays a role in the production of antibodies and white blood cells. It is also known to fight infections. Meanwhile, vitamin C is an antioxidant that reduces cell damage and boosts the immune system.
Nevertheless, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic found that among 214 adult patients, they had been confirmed to have COVID-19 and taken 10 days of zinc gluconate (50 mg per day) or vitamin C (8,000 milligrams over the course of each day) – or a combination of the two – made no significant difference in the duration of their symptoms to decrease compared to patients receiving standard care.
For this reason, the study was discontinued early.
In an announcement, dr. Milind Desai, director of clinical surgery at the Heart Vascular & Thoracic Institute of Cleveland Clinic and co-principal investigator of the study, said:
‘While we see the pandemic spreading around the world and infecting and killing millions of people, the medical community and consumers have scrambled to try supplements that they believe could prevent infection, or alleviate COVID-19 symptoms, but the research is only now catching up. While vitamin C and zinc have been ineffective as a treatment in clinical comparison with standard care, the study of other treatments continues. ‘
The researchers also noted that the patients in the study received outpatient care rather than being treated in a hospital, as people who contract COVID-19 but do not require hospitalization are more likely to make supplements.
The study participants also had an average age of about 45 years, and most (61.7%) were women.
Although the use of zinc and vitamin C can be a dead end, there is a supplement found by several studies that can help you avoid a bad coronavirus infection, as we reported in “Can this vitamin help you protect against COVID-19? “
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