Micronutrient therapy and effective immune response: a promising approach for management of COVID-19

Abstract

The escalating prevalence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide, with an increased rate of morbidity and mortality, highlights an urgent need to develop more effective therapeutic interventions. Despite the authorized treatment against COVID-19 by the European Union (EU), the safety and effectiveness of this therapeutic strategy for a wide variety of patients have remained a significant challenge. In this respect, micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals, as essential factors, can be considered for improving the function of the immune system and accelerating the treatment procedure. Dietary supplements can attenuate vascular and inflammatory manifestations related to infectious diseases in large part due to their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Recently, it has been revealed that poor nutritional status may be one of the notable risk factors in severe COVID-19 infections. In the current review, we focus on the micronutrient therapy of COVID-19 patients and provide a comprehensive insight into the essential vitamins/minerals and their role in controlling the severity of the COVID-19 infection. We also discuss the recent advancements, challenges, negative and positive outcomes in relevance to this approach.

Efficacy and Safety of Aspirin, Promethazine, and Micronutrients for Rapid Clinical Recovery in Mild to Moderate COVID-19 Patients: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

“…The severity in COVID-19 is seen in older people, comorbid, malnourished and obese individuals. There are many studies suggesting a role of vitamins and minerals like vitamin A, D, zinc and selenium in alleviating inflammatory response in COVID-19 [14].…”

Content of Essential Trace Elements in the Hair of Residents of the Caspian Region of the Republic of Kazakhstan Who Recovered from COVID-19

“…Since the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, many publications on this topic have been published. Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, and Se deficiencies have been found to impair many aspects of innate and adaptive immunity and increase susceptibility to infections [ 1 , 6 , 10 , 18 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 ].…”

COVID-19 and Gut Injury

“…Vitamin C has been used to treat severe COVID-19 patients in a clinical trial (NCT04264533), but it was terminated due to a decreased sample size in the second outbreak of COVID-19 in China. Many other clinical trials (NCT04401150, NCT04357782, NCT04344184, NCT04682574, NCT04710329) on using vitamin C to treat COVID-19 are currently under recruitment or in the process of data analysis [ 125 ], and the results will be available to the public soon. There is also preliminary evidence for the use of zinc supplementation to alleviate COVID-19 induced gut injury, especially to treat diarrhea [ 126 ].…”