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- Strawberries. Strawberries are a great source of vitamin C — and have even more vitamin C than an orange. In fact, this is true for a lot of different fruits and vegetables.
- Eggs. Eggs, especially the yolks, are high in vitamin D. And they’re a great option because there are many different ways to eat eggs — and they can be easy on the stomach when you’re not feeling well.
- Sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes are high in vitamin A, another vitamin that plays an important role in the immune system. Vitamin A supports the production of immune cells that fight against invaders.
- Oatmeal. Oatmeal can be warm and comforting when you’re sick. It’s also a good source of zinc. Zinc helps regulate how the immune system functions. And there’s a lot of research on whether zinc can help with the common cold.
Apr 5, 2021 · Indeed, zinc, melatonin, vitamin C, vitamin D, and other supplements have been commonly prescribed from the earliest days of the pandemic. But do they work? Why supplements might help prevent or treat COVID-19. While science can show whether a drug is effective, we may not always know why.
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- Vitamin C. Though the National Institutes of Health (NIH) says there’s not enough evidence to recommend either for or against using vitamin C for COVID-19, some research does indicate there are benefits to taking vitamin C.
- Vitamin D. Vitamin D reached all-time popularity during the pandemic. If there’s one vitamin that’s been researched the most with regard to COVID-19, it may be this one.
- Zinc. There is quite a bit of research indicating that the mineral zinc can be helpful at helping you fend off COVID-19. A small 2023 study found that taking zinc reduced death, hospital admission and shortened duration of symptoms.
- Melatonin. There’s quite a bit of research on the hormone melatonin to treat COVID-19. A 2022 study published in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences found melatonin helps manage the effect of the cytokine storm that’s a common response to COVID-19.
- Overview
- 1. Vitamin D
- 2. Carotenoids and vitamin A
- 3. Zinc
- 4. Omega-3 fatty acids
- 5. Vitamin C
- The bottom line
Having a healthy immune system is important for COVID-19 recovery. You may consider complimenting COVID-19 treatments with foods that include vitamins A, C, and D, as well as carotenoids, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids.
There’s an important relationship among your nutritional status, immune health, risk of infection, and ability to recover from illness (1, 2, 3).
Poor nutrition is associated with inflammation and oxidative stress, which compromise immune health. Both inflammation and oxidative stress are elevated when you have COVID-19 (1, 2).
The World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic in March 2020. The virus’s full name is severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), and the illness it causes is called COVID-19 (4).
COVID-19 negatively affects nutritional status because it decreases appetite and may limit your access to nutritious foods during confinement, yet it simultaneously increases your body’s need for nutrients, such as vitamin D (3, 5, 6).
Diet and nutrition can help support your immune health if you have COVID-19, especially if you consume foods with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties (1, 2, 5, 6, 7).
Vitamin D is the most frequently discussed micronutrient among nutrition experts for the management of COVID-19 (5).
This fat-soluble vitamin and hormone exerts an anti-inflammatory effect by suppressing overactivity of the immune system, according to newer and older research (1, 5, 8, 9).
In the body, vitamin D acts on angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a protein receptor found in the lungs and fat tissue (1, 7).
The novel coronavirus binds to ACE2 at the beginning of an infection, potentially leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome and severe illness in people with COVID-19 (10).
However, vitamin D interacts with the ACE2 receptors, potentially preventing the virus from binding to them, and reducing complications associated with COVID-19 (1, 10, 11).
Vitamin D may also play a protective role and support healing of damaged tissues, primarily in the lungs (10).
Carotenoids are antioxidants as well as pigments (red, green, yellow, and orange). They’re found in nature in some colorful algae, bacteria, fungi, plants, fruits, and vegetables, some of which you can include in your diet (20, 21).
Of the 700 carotenoids identified in nature, only about 30 have been found in the human body. One of these is vitamin A and its precursor, beta carotene (20, 22, 23).
Vitamin A is a fat-soluble antioxidant carotenoid. It has anti-inflammatory properties, and research has shown it may be beneficial for managing pneumonia and respiratory infections (1, 24, 25, 26).
In the case of COVID-19, studies indicate that vitamin A reduces inflammation and oxidative stress, enhances the immune response, and may decrease the severity of the disease (24, 25).
Researchers think it protects the ACE2 receptors, similarly to vitamin D, and may work on several other molecular targets to combat COVID-19 (24, 25).
Some people may develop vitamin A deficiency during infections such as COVID-19, and this may actually increase the severity of the disease. If this happens, you might need to take vitamin A supplements (25).
Zinc deficiency has been associated with an increased risk of infections and poorer outcomes in those with COVID-19 (1, 35).
Zinc is regarded as one of the most important minerals. Research has shown that its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties may reduce the risk of heart disease, may support eye health, and are essential for immune health (36, 37, 38, 39).
In COVID-19, zinc may reduce the risk of getting a bacterial infection at the same time and decrease activity of the ACE2 receptors, which are targets of the novel coronavirus (40).
It also protects the health of the lung tissue and may be a therapeutic additional treatment for COVID-19. Studies on this are now underway (41, 42, 43, 44).
Omega-3 polyunsaturated fats are a category of fatty acids shown to have anti-inflammatory health benefits, including for brain health, heart disease, and rheumatoid arthritis (1, 9, 53, 54).
These omega-3 fats, specifically eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), may improve recovery in people with COVID-19 (55).
However, higher quality research in humans is needed before healthcare professionals may recommend taking it for this purpose.
Omega-3 fats reduce inflammation and the potential for the “cytokine storm” in COVID-19, which is hyperactivity of the immune system that causes negative symptoms.
They’re thought to do this by becoming part of cell membranes of various tissues throughout the body and preventing the production of pro-inflammatory compounds (56).
Another potential benefit of omega-3 fats in treating those with or recovering from COVID-19 is their role in improving mood, anxiety, and depression — all of which may be worsened by the novel coronavirus pandemic (57, 58).
Vitamin C is an antioxidant vitamin that supports immune health in people of all ages (63).
Animal and human studies have found that vitamin C may reduce oxidative stress, improve endothelial function to guard against heart disease, and support recovery from the common cold (64, 65, 66).
Emerging research demonstrates that giving vitamin C to people with COVID-19 may support recovery and improvement during the disease course (44, 66, 67).
Vitamin C has a potential role in the prevention and management of pneumonia and bacterial infections such as sepsis, although some in the scientific community question its use (66, 67).
COVID-19 negatively affects nutritional status, and a healthy, functional immune system is paramount to reducing the risk of infection and supporting recovery.
Researchers are looking with great interest at vitamin D, carotenoids, vitamin A, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin C to determine their potential health benefits as complementary treatments for COVID-19.
Mar 10, 2021 · Health. What Helps with COVID-19 Outcomes? The Foods & Nutrients You Should Know About. Ocean Robbins ·. Published March 10, 2021 ·. 11 min read. Summary. The COVID-19 pandemic has many of us feeling overwhelmed and helpless. But is it possible to reduce your risk of poor outcomes by improving the quality of your diet? Eco-Friendly Print.
Feb 14, 2024 · Foods to Eat With COVID. Eating nutritious foods is one way to ensure an optimal immune response. When a virus like COVID-19 invades your body, the nutrients you consume support your immune cells as they fight the invading pathogen. They also help you avoid chronic inflammation levels as you recover from the illness.
Aug 10, 2023 · This includes eating a variety of fruits and vegetables, prioritizing quality sleep, regularly exercising, avoiding alcohol, not smoking and finding ways to best manage stress. On top of the aforementioned immune boosting habits, supplements can also help boost immunity.
