COVID-19: These four supplements may lower infection risk

I’m so tired of hearing mainstream “experts” claim that vitamins do nothing but give you expensive urine.  

They’ve been doing it for as long as I’ve been practicing medicine. And if the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) can’t even recommend regular screening for vitamin D deficiency, I find it hard to believe that things will ever change.  

Let me remind you, however, that the scientific evidence backing the health benefits of proper supplementation is out there. And this research is especially important in the age of coronavirus. Yet somehow, the powers-that-be don’t seem to notice… or care. 

So maybe this latest study will finally grab their attention…   

Supplements slash infection risk 

A COVID-19 Symptom Study app launched in the U.K., U.S., and Sweden back in March 2020, to help track the development of the pandemic via self-reported data. 

For this latest study, researchers looked at information from the U.K. specifically, collected from a total of nearly 373,000 people. They analyzed whether participants used supplements during the pandemic’s first wave, between May and July 2020. They also looked at any COVID-19 test results.  

In that timeframe, researchers found that more than 175,000 people took supplements regularly—while just over 197,000 did not. (Two-thirds of the supplement takers were women. Half were overweight.)  

And the statistics are pretty nuts: In the U.K. alone, market share of nutritional supplements rose by almost 20 percent in the time leading up to the first “lockdown”—while sales of vitamin C spiked by 110 percent and sales of multivitamins skyrocketed by 93 percent.   

But that’s not all. Researchers also looked at specific supplements—and their potential protection against the virus. 

Ultimately, they found that probiotics, omega-3 fatty acids, multivitamins, and vitamin D were all linked to a lower risk of COVID-19 infection—by 14 percent, 12 percent, 13 percent, and 9 percent, respectively.  

And that’s even after factoring in underlying conditions and diet. 

Smart supplementation is powerful  

When the researchers drew up equivalent figures for the U.S. and Sweden, they uncovered even stronger trends: 

• Probiotics slashed risk by 18 percent and 37 percent, respectively 
• Omega-3 fatty acids cut risk by 21 percent and 16 percent, respectively 
• Multivitamins dropped risk by 12 percent and 22 percent, respectively 
• Vitamin D lowered risk by 24 percent and 19 percent, respectively 

There’s no question that supplements help strengthen your immune system.  

Sure, it may be less clear whether specific supplements can lower your risk of catching COVID-19 specifically, but I’d say these findings speak for themselves.  

Of course, when researchers looked at sex, age, and weight, the protection was only significant in women. But that’s not to say men should stop taking their supplements. Because the truth remains that a wide range of nutrients are essential for prevention and recovery from any infection. 

(Don’t believe me? Take a look at my Complete Guide to Year-Round Immunity for more details—including my top supplements for immune health, and dosage recommendations.) 

Thankfully, more researchers are starting to see the light here, too. So if Big Pharma isn’t quaking in their boots yet, well… they should be.  

Source: 

“Multivitamins, omega-3, probiotics, vitamin D may lessen risk of positive COVID-19 test: But protective effects seen only among women, study finds.” Science Daily, 04/19/2021. (sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/04/210419195307.htm)