Investigates

Fact vs. Fiction: What vitamins help protect against COVID-19?

PITTSBURGH — Most of us have heard that vitamin C and zinc can boost your immunity, and some believe they can help protect you against the common cold. But what about COVID-19?

Do vitamins give you an edge against the coronavirus? Can they make it less likely for you to catch COVID-19, or if you do get it, reduce the duration and make it less severe?

So far, research is showing some promising indications, but it’s still mixed.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an antioxidant, and a lot of folks swear by it to help build immunity.

However, specifically, when it comes to COVID-19, a major study backed by the National Institutes of Health showed no significant health benefit when vitamin C was given to patients diagnosed with COVID-19.

We talked with Allegheny Health Network registered dietitian Kelsey Hutter about it.

“There hasn’t been any conclusive evidence on this unfortunately, for now. So, I think we need more studies,” Hutter told us.

So, unfortunately, there’s no clear evidence at this point that vitamin C helps protect against COVID-19.

Zinc

Zinc is known to stimulate antiviral activity and reduce inflammation. And some studies are showing zinc may slow the ability of viruses to make copies of themselves, including the coronavirus.

“Specifically, with COVID-19, it does help with one enzyme to decrease the replication of COVID-19.

So, there is some indication that zinc can help, but more research is still needed,” Hutter said.

Vitamin D

Several studies are showing promise that vitamin D can offer some protection when it comes to COVID-19.

One out of Boston University looked at the blood samples of nearly 200,000 people from all 50 states. It found those who had deficient levels of vitamin D had a 54% higher COVID-19 positivity rate compared to those with adequate levels of vitamin D.

And a more recent study out of Israel showed people who are vitamin D deficient are more likely to have a severe or critical case of COVID-19.

One thing to note is that most people get their vitamin D from the sun, and many don’t get enough.

“Some of the reasons, the older you are the harder it is to synthesize enough vitamin D from the sun, which is where you get vitamin D. If you’re African American, you have a tendency to synthesize less vitamin D from the sun as compared to someone who is Caucasian,” Hutter explained.

So, we asked Hutter, in the final analysis, should you take vitamins to help protect against COVID-19?

“In general, if you eat a healthy diet and take a multi-vitamin with D, that’s going to give you that back-up insurance policy to allow your body to fight infection,” Hutter said. “Especially with COVID-19, if we have enough armor to prepare for the battle, then we can fight off illness and infection better.”

So, there is reason to be hopeful that some vitamins can provide benefit in the fight against COVID-19, although more research is needed to provide definitive evidence.

If you decide taking vitamins is right for you, be sure to follow directions for the appropriate dosage and talk with your doctor before starting any new regimen.