The Corona Virus Disease 2019, also known as COVID-19 had started in Wuhan, the largest city of the Chinese in the province of Hubei, in December 2019. The infection resulted due to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and predominantly affected patients aged 60 years and above. Epidemiological data have revealed that the mortality rate goes on increasing with both age and incidence of underlying diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, smoking, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Previous scientific studies suggest that the nutritional status can change or modify the course of the infection.Zinc is essential for growth, development, and the maintenance of immune function. Due to absence of any treatment for thiscoronavirus, there is an urgent necessity to seekany alternative methods which can contribute in controllingthe disease. The objective of this article is to find the association between zinc and COVID-19.

A review of the previous literature and examination the role of zinc in immune function in the COVID-19infection was performed. The outcomes are that the zinc as an anti-inflammatory agent might help to improvethe immune function and lessen the risk of infection.

Thus, in conclusion, zinc supplementation could be used as aneffective strategy to reduce the global burden of COVID-19 infection, especially in the elderly.

Source:de Almeida Brasiel PG. The key role of zinc in elderly immunity: A possible approach in the COVID-19 crisis. ClinNutr ESPEN. 2020; 38:65-66. doi:10.1016/j.clnesp.2020.06.003.