What Vitamin Supplements May Lower the Risk of COVID-19 in Women

Regular use of certain vitamins and supplements may be correlated with a lower risk of COVID-19 in women, according to a new study that examined data from over 445,000 people from UK, US and Sweden who contribute to the application Study of symptoms of COVID-19.

Among the 372,000 UK participants, the researchers collected information on infections and dietary supplements and found that women who took probiotics, omega-3 fatty acids, multivitamins, or vitamin D had a lower risk of getting infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. However, no effects were seen in people taking vitamin C, zinc, or garlic supplements, and none of the supplements were associated with a protective effect against disease in men.

While the results are intriguing and are some of the earliest data on supplement use and the risk of COVID-19, Researchers at King’s College London in the UK quickly found their work to be preliminary, as it is based on self-reported data, and some factors may not have been adequately controlled.

“Given the interest in supplements during the pandemic, Large randomized controlled trials of selected supplements are needed to prove their protective effects, and also the possible side effects, on the severity of the disease before we can make evidence-based recommendations ”, write the authors.

Researchers in the study, published in the journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health, they emphasized that More needs to be done to determine whether Vitamin D may help protect against COVID-19. Health officials in England have acknowledged that “There is not enough evidence” to recommend vitamin D supplements just to prevent disease.

“The conclusion is that our research is an observational study and not a clinical trial, ”he said. the main author of the study, Cristina Menni, researcher of King’s College London. “We cannot make solid recommendations based on the data we have.”

For the specialist, “the research is fascinating because is one of the first large-scale data available on supplement use and the risk of COVID-19 and it provides a good starting point for further research ”. “It probably is the largest study to date on COVID-19 and the use of supplements in a real-world setting ”, insured.

Probiotics, Omega-3s, Multivitamins, and Vitamin D Linked to Lower Risk of COVID-19

To go He said that since the start of the pandemic, there had been a lot of speculation about the benefits of taking vitamins for boosting the immune system against COVID-19, but very little data to support the claims.

the supplements market of UK a 19.5% at the start of the first lockout in March 2020, for example, with an increase 110% in sales of Vitamin C and an increase of 93% in sales of multivitamin. In the United States, sales of zinc increased by 415% over a seven-day period in March 2020, according to the new study.

To go and his team analyzed data from a subset of 445,000 app users Study of symptoms of COVID. The application, which was launched at the end of March 2020, also collected information on COVID-19 symptoms, COVID-19 test results, stress and mental health, weight changes, eating and exercise habits, and the use of vitamins and supplements .

The app also asked users for information such as age, location, body mass index, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and whether or not they are healthcare workers. Regarding vitamin intake, Researchers asked users if they took any of the following supplements at least three times a week for more than three months: omega-3s, probiotics, garlic, multivitamins, vitamin D, vitamin C and zinc.

The dataset included self-reports from 45,757 Americans who used the app between May and June 2020. 71% of US users reported taking supplements, while 29% did not. During the three-month period, 3,213 people reported testing positive for COVID-19.

Americans who reported taking probiotics, omega-3 fatty acids, multivitamins and vitamin D, respectively, had an 18%, 21%, 12% and 24% lower risk of testing positive for COVID-19 during the three-month period. When the researchers controlled for gender, age, BMI, smoking habits, and underlying health issues, the data found that For the men in the study, there was no protective effect against COVID-19 related to the use of any of the vitamins and supplements. Data from the UK and Sweden showed similar trends.

To go conclude that It is not known why the data showed a link between supplement use and COVID-19 for women but not for men. It should be noted that based on app data, women also tend to report staying home and canceling plans more than men; and there were more women in the study (including those from the US, UK and Sweden).

KEEP READING: