Vitamin C and zinc will not help you fight Covid – even in high doses – the study revealed
- Trial looked at the benefits of the two supplements for people who isolate at home
- But findings were so unimpressive that scientists decided to turn them off completely.
- High doses have even caused side effects, including nausea, diarrhea and cramps
Vitamin C and zinc do not help combat Covid, even in high doses, a study has revealed.
Findings from the trial, which looked at the benefits of the two supplements for people who isolate themselves with the virus at home, were so unimpressive that scientists decided to turn it off altogether.
Although both were popular in the fight against other viral colds and flu, they ‘did not live up to their hype’, according to an editorial published in the JAMA Network Open Journal.
Vitamin C and zinc do not help fight Covid, even in high doses, a study has revealed
Three groups of 214 adults recovering from Covid’s home participated in the trial. They received high doses of vitamin C, high doses of zinc and both.
A fourth group, meanwhile, received fever-reducing medication and was told to rest and hydrate, but did not take any supplements.
But scientists found no evidence of a reduction in Covid symptoms in any of the first three groups.
Furthermore, high doses have sometimes caused unpleasant side effects, including nausea, diarrhea and stomach cramps.
Previous research has found that vitamin C as an antioxidant plays an important role in supporting the immune system and can reduce colds by 14% in children and 8% in adults.
However, the National Institutes of Health has found it helpful to take it after the cold has started.
Zinc, meanwhile, can help cells fight infections, with a deficiency contributing to the reduced production of antibodies.
A review of 13 studies said that zinc can reduce colds by a day if taken within 24 hours after the first signs, but there have been warnings against its use in nasal spray after being linked to more than 100 cases of loss of odor.