The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has undoubtedly had an impact on the global economy and the health of the entire globe. There was only one thought in the minds of all mankind – how to find a way to deal with this deadly virus? Scientists and doctors armed with determination have set the goal of implementing an effective drug against COVID-19 as soon as possible. Among the substances tested in hospital practice, he found ZINC – a microelement associated with supporting the body’s immunity. Could such a simple substance become a valuable ally in a pandemic? Let’s see what scientists and doctors write on this topic.
It is estimated that up to 20% of people in the world may be affected by zinc deficiency. Extreme shortages of this element have taken their toll on some developing countries, where zinc deficiency ranks among the leading causes of death! Although the population of developed countries (including Poland) is less affected by deficiencies, there are groups that should be especially careful about a sufficient amount of zinc in the diet. These include the elderly, breastfeeding mothers, vegans, vegetarians and athletes. Significant zinc deficiency in the body is most often associated with the deterioration of the skin, hair and nails, loss of appetite, diarrhea, deterioration of the mental state, fertility disorders and immunity disorders.
Why is the supply of zinc in the diet so important? This micronutrient is involved in about 2000 biochemical reactions in our body and is a component of about 750 factors necessary in the process of protein production. Many of these reactions are closely related to the function of the immune system. Depriving the body of zinc would be like taking the gears out of a functioning immune machine – we would simply become more susceptible to infection, and its course would be more severe.
Zinc regulates the strength of the immune response – enhances the effectiveness of fighting infection, while reducing inflammatory processes. It has an antioxidant effect, stabilizing cell structures. Responsible for the maturation of lymphocytes and the formation of antibodies. It supports the process of antigen presentation, which additionally accelerates the development of the body’s resistance to a given pathogen. Ultimately, zinc supplementation may reduce the risk of disease, alleviate its course, and shorten its duration.
Scientists and doctors armed with this knowledge and decades of experience in the clinical use of zinc began to use this element in research. It turned out that zinc blocks key replication proteins of the SARS-CoV coronavirus, especially when zinc is administered in the company of ionophores – substances that allow zinc to be transferred to the infected cell.
New York doctors who conducted a study on over a thousand patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 can boast a particular success in clinical practice. The inclusion of zinc in standard therapy resulted in a 42% reduction in mortality, a 51% reduction in the risk of connection to a ventilator, and a 41% reduction in ICU exposure. Another example is a study by Spanish scientists who studied the concentration of zinc in the blood in sick patients. According to their reports, people with very high zinc deficiency (<50 µg / dl of zinc in the blood) had as much as 4 times higher mortality and 3 times longer time to clinical stabilization than other subjects (> 50 µg / dl of zinc ions in the blood). Yet another study by Egyptian physicians found that administering zinc to COVID-19 patients reduced the duration of an olfactory disorder by an average of about 11 days. There are many more publications linking zinc with COVID-19 in the literature. This micronutrient, cheap and available at a pharmacy, gives high hopes in a pandemic. Therefore, we are waiting impatiently and optimistically for the results of the randomized clinical trials with zinc.
To support your immunity, you should take care of the correct level of zinc in your diet. One of the ways is to use the Zincas Immunity dietary supplement, which contains an innovative zinc complex with natural ionophores – EGCG and quercetin.
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