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Nutraceuticals: A ray of hope for COVID-19

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eMediNexus Editorial    04 December 2021

Background-

The global pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a global health emergency. 

However, while there is still need of clinical data, the existing evidence is suggestive of the potential use of certain nutraceuticals in the treatment of COVID-19. 

Omega-3 fats, β-glucans, amino acids, probiotics, vitamins and minerals have attracted attention owing to their potential to treat various respiratory complications, which could also be used in COVID-19. 

These agents have shown immune-modulatory effects in the susceptible population.

The potential beneficial effects of nutraceuticals in the management of COVID-19-

  • Mucociliary clearance
  • Improved vessel permeability
  • Reduced coughing
  • Antiviral properties
  • Anti-inflammatory properties
  • Augment phagocytosis
  • Normalize pulmonary functioning
  • Antioxidant activity
  • Improved gut function
  • Shorter ICU and mechanical ventilation duration
  • Reduced respiratory infections
  • Improved immunity
  • Improved sleep quality

Therapeutic benefits of nutraceuticals for respiratory complications-

Vitamins

  • Yalaki et al. reported increased immunity and normalized pulmonary function after supplementation with vitamin D in patients suffering from acute bronchiolitis.  
  • When administered in high-doses (1,000-6,000 mg) to critically ill patients, Vitamin C can reduce the time spent on mechanical ventilation by 25% and length of stay in an ICU.

Dietary minerals

Selenium

  • Selenium, via its redox homeostasis and antioxidant properties, can resist viral infections.
  • Dietary selenium can improve immunity against the lethal H1N1 influenza virus infection.

Zinc

  • Barnett et al. demonstrated that in older subjects, higher serum zinc concentrations (>70 µg/dl) were associated with a lower incidence of pneumonia, lower duration of disease, and reduced need for antibiotics as compared to patients with low serum zinc concentrations (<70 µg/dl).
  • Zinc salts have been shown to inhibit the replication of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and arrest cell-to-cell spread in human epithelial type 2 (HEp-2) cells. 

Amino acids

Arginine

  • Meingast and Heldt have demonstrated viral inactivating property of arginine via mechanisms including pore formation and destabilization of the viral membrane, inhibition of the function of non-structural proteins, suppression of protein-protein interactions, and aggregation. 

Glutamine (GLN)-

  • Oliveira et al. have suggested beneficial effects of exogenous GLN against asthma and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and during the treatment of lung cancer. 

Probiotics

  • Strasser et al. have demonstrated a reduced incidence of upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) in trained athletes, without altering performance, by various strains of probiotics.
  • Jayawardena et al. have suggested probiotics as a dietary supplement to counter infection of susceptible populations with SARS-CoV-2. 

Omega-3 fatty acids

  • Miyata and Arita have described the beneficial effects of omega-3 fatty acids in alleviating the inflammatory complications resulting from allergic reactions and asthma.
  • Linday et al. demonstrated that the simultaneous administration of cod liver oil and a multivitamin-mineral supplement to children could significantly decrease the mean number of URTI-related medical consultations over time. 

β-glucans

  • Along with immunomodulatory effects, they have been shown to reduce the susceptibility of healthy subjects to URTIs and decrease the severity of URTIs in infected subjects.
  • β-glucans have been shown to reduce morbidity and mortality associated with COVID-19.

Conclusion: Further clinical trials and experimental studies are warranted to further validate the efficacy of these agents. 

These compounds must be investigated in vitro and in vivo at the earliest to counteract the ongoing increase in the number of cases of COVID-19.

Source: International Journal of Functional Nutrition, 2020;1(2). https://doi.org/10.3892/ijfn.2020.6

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