Several
human nutrition researches specifically focusing on COVID-19 have
been published in scientific journals. They gave people a good
direction regarding how to integrate nutrition to the response to the
pandemic and stay well.
Vitamin
D
The
University of Chicago’s research published in September showed
convincing effectiveness of vitamin D on COVID-19 prevention.
Subjects with sufficient vitamin D status had a lower risk for
getting tested positive (Ref.1).
In this
cohort study of 489 patients who had a vitamin D level measured in
the year before COVID-19 testing, the relative risk of testing
positive for COVID-19 was 1.77 times greater for patients with likely
deficient vitamin D status compared with patients with likely
sufficient vitamin D status, a difference that was statistically
significant.
Overall,
71 participants (15%) tested positive for COVID-19. In multivariate
analysis, testing positive for COVID-19 was associated with
increasing age up to age 50 years (relative risk, 1.06; 95% CI,
1.01-1.09; P = .02); non-White race (relative risk, 2.54;
95% CI, 1.26-5.12; P = .009), and likely deficient vitamin D
status (relative risk, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.12-2.81; P = .02)
compared with likely sufficient vitamin D status.
In May,
the cross-national analysis published by British researchers and
Northwestern University both showed a significant relationship
between low average vitamin D levels and the higher number of COVID19
cases, particularly COVID-19 mortality rates, per head of population.
(Ref. 2)
Probiotics
A
clinical study in Italy showed probiotics helped reduce COVID-19
symptoms in 7 days and also avoid severe illness that might require
intensive care (Ref. 3).
The study
enrolled seventy COVID-19 patients, hospitalized between March 9 and
April 4, 2020 at Sapienza University of Rome. These patients had a
fever and required non-invasive oxygen therapy. 42 of them received
hydroxychloroquine, antibiotics and tocilizumab, alone or in
combination. The other group of 28 patients received the same therapy
added with an oral probiotic supplement.
Around
90% of 28 patients in the “probiotic” group actually showed
remission of symptoms, including diarrhea, in 3 days. The percentage
reached 100% on the seventh day while the one in the control group
was lower than 50%.
The
estimated risk of developing respiratory failure in patients treated
with the oral probiotic supplement was eight times lower than those
in the control group, according to the odds ratio statistics. The
prevalence of ICU usage and mortality were both higher among patients
who were not treated with the probiotic formula.
Dr.
Giancarlo Ceccarelli, a specialist in infectious diseases at the
university, told Nutraingredients.com that “Our preliminary results
evidenced on improved survival rate and a lower risk of transfer to
an intensive resuscitation for patients supplemented with the
probiotic compared with those on standard treatment only.”
Reference
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2770157
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40520-020-01570-8
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2020.00389/full
