These vitamins don’t lessen Covid-19 symptoms, study finds

Initially Printed: 12 FEB 21 11:02 ET

By Sandee LaMotte, CNN

(CNN) — Can vitamin C and zinc show you how to battle off COVID-19?

No, not even at excessive doses, in keeping with the primary randomized medical trial to check the 2 dietary supplements below medical supervision.

Regardless of the favored use of vitamin C and zinc to battle off or reduce the severity of viral colds and flu, the brand new examine, published Friday in JAMA Network Open, discovered the 2 dietary supplements have been of no profit to folks isolating at residence with Covid-19.

In truth, the findings have been so unimpressive that the examine was stopped early.

“Sadly, these 2 dietary supplements did not dwell as much as their hype,” wrote Dr. Erin Michos of John Hopkins and Houston Methodist’s Dr. Miguel Cainzos-Achirica, in an accompanying editorial.

The medical trial gave excessive doses of every complement alone and together to one in every of three teams of 214 adults who have been recovering at residence. A fourth group acquired normal care, reminiscent of relaxation, hydration and fever-reducing medicines, however no dietary supplements.

“Excessive-dose zinc gluconate (zinc), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), or each dietary supplements didn’t cut back SARS-CoV-2 signs,” in keeping with Cleveland Clinic heart specialist Dr. Milind Desai and a staff from Cleveland Clinic.

The excessive doses, nevertheless, did trigger some disagreeable unwanted effects for sufferers taking the dietary supplements.

“Extra antagonistic results (nausea, diarrhea, and abdomen cramps) have been reported within the complement teams than within the traditional care group,” wrote Michos, an affiliate professor of drugs at Johns Hopkins College Faculty of Medication, and Cainzos-Achirica, an assistant professor of preventive cardiology at Houston Methodist.

Widespread dietary supplements

Many People flip to vitamin C and zinc dietary supplements to battle off viral colds and flu.

Vitamin C is a acknowledged antioxidant, and performs a vital position in supporting the immune system. Although it has not been proven to forestall sickness, different analysis has discovered vitamin C can shorten colds by 8% in adults and 14% in youngsters.

Utilizing vitamin C after chilly signs begin, nevertheless, doesn’t look like useful, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Zinc might assist a cell’s skill to battle an infection, the examine mentioned, “whereas there’s proof that zinc deficiency will increase pro-inflammatory cytokines and reduces the manufacturing of antibodies.”

However what does that imply in actual life? If taken inside 24 hours of the very first indicators of a chilly, zinc might cut back the size of a chilly by solely at some point, a a review of 13 studies discovered.

There’s a down facet, too. Taking on 2,000 milligrams of vitamin C a day could cause heartburn, abdomen cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and complications. The typical each day advisable quantity of vitamin C is 75 milligrams for grownup ladies and 90 milligrams for males.

Over 40 milligrams of zinc every day could cause dry mouth, nausea, lack of urge for food and diarrhea, plus it may have a nasty metallic style.

Lengthy-term customers can have “low copper ranges, decrease immunity, and low ranges of HDL ldl cholesterol (the ‘good’ ldl cholesterol),” according to the NIH. In 2009, the FDA warned the public in opposition to utilizing zinc nasal sprays as a result of they have been linked to greater than 100 instances of lack of scent.