Essential Nutrients to Slow the Progression of Viral Infection
When it comes to nutrients, the word “essential” means that you need it but your body can’t make it. There are nine essential amino acids, two essential fatty acids (omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fats), 13 essential vitamins, and 20 essential minerals. Adequate amounts and proper balances of these nutrients are needed for proper metabolic function, to maintain bone, and to support neurologic and cardiovascular health. Nutrients also help to strengthen the immune response and prevent chronic disease. No single food can provide all the vitamins and minerals we need, so it’s important to eat a diverse, healthy diet. It may be necessary to take supplements to prevent deficiency of certain essential nutrients.
Vitamin D, vitamin B12, and magnesium are essential nutrients. A recent study conducted by researchers from Singapore and Duke Medical School evaluated the effect of daily doses of oral vitamin D3 1000 IU, magnesium 150mg, and vitamin B12 500mcg on COVID progression to severe outcome in older patients. This combination (called DMB) was chosen because the relatively safe nutrients help to reduce the body’s inflammatory response to viral infections. The study compared all consecutive hospitalized COVID-19 patients aged 50 and above in a tertiary academic hospital who received DMB upon admission if they did not require oxygen therapy, to a control group of patients who did not take DMB. As hypothesized, significantly fewer DMB patients required initiation of oxygen therapy or intensive care support throughout their hospitalization (17.6% of patients who took DMB required oxygen versus 61.5% of patients who did not take DMB).
Ask our pharmacist about the best form of supplements to maximize absorption and beneficial effects.
References:
https://www.openfit.com/essential-nutrients-explainer
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.06.01.20112334v2
