Summary This study, conducted by several Iranian and American research institutes, investigated the association between vitamin D levels and its effect on several adverse clinical outcomes and parameters related to immune function and mortality rate in 235 COVID-19 patients. This study showed a significant association between vitamin D sufficiency, less severe clinical complaints, and better…
Summary In this study, researchers aimed to investigate the (preventive) effect of vitamin D supplementation on the incidence of seasonal flu and respiratory tract infections in patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) during the winter and early spring. 223 patients with IBD were included and categorized in two groups: One test group received a vitamin…
Summary This study, conducted by Turkish researchers, investigated the effect of vitamin D levels on COVID-19 severity and mortality in 149 COVID-19 patients. Results showed that patients with critical complaints had significantly lower vitamin D levels than patients with moderate COVID-19 complaints. Vitamin D insufficiency was measured in 93.1% of the patients with critical complaints.…
Summary Numerous studies have pointed out the clear connection between a well-functioning immune system and a sufficient daily intake of multiple specific micronutrients, including vitamins A, D, C, E, B6, and B12, folate, zinc, iron, copper, and selenium, which often play synergistic roles. Micronutrient deficiencies frequently occur in the human body, and even marginal deficiencies…
Summary A study conducted by the University of Chicago examined the association between vitamin D levels and other clinical characteristics related to COVID-19. 489 patients were involved. Patients with a deficient vitamin D level showed a 1.77 times greater risk to test positive for COVID-19. This study showed a direct association between vitamin D deficiency…
Summary A review composed by several American and Canadian research institutes gave an overview of studies on vitamin D evaluating its influence on immunity and its function as an immunomodulator. Vitamin D deficiency often occurs in the winter season as a result of decreased sunlight and sun exposure. Several studies showed a clear relation between…
Summary An Israelian study found a direct association between low vitamin D levels and an increased risk of COVID-19 infections. In this study, the data of 7807 participants were used. Participants were tested on COVID-19, and blood samples were used to measure vitamin D levels. Participants who tested positive on COVID-19 had a significantly lower…
Summary This Korean study investigated the effects of several essential micronutrients on the incidence of COVID-19 infections. To this end, several micronutrients were measured in 50 hospitalized patients with COVID-19. This study showed that 76% of these patients were vitamin D deficient, and 42% were selenium deficient. Furthermore, the COVID-19 group showed lower vitamin D…
Summary Early signs of vitamin C deficiency often go unrecognized and may manifest as a reduced desire to be physically active. Moreover, it is often associated with increased cold duration and severity. A study conducted by several American institutes investigated the effects of vitamin C supplementation on physical activity and respiratory tract infections during the…
Summary This study is an overview of several studies on the preventive effects of vitamin D supplementation on acute respiratory tract infections. 25 eligible studies were identified based on individual participant data. These studies showed a reduced risk of acute respiratory tract infections and a preventive and protective effect in all participants after daily or…
Summary A study conducted by several German hospitals investigated the effects of low selenium levels on the mortality risk of COVID-19 patients. Selenium is an essential trace element and important for a well-functioning immune system. In this study, which included 33 participants, the measured selenium levels were significantly higher in surviving COVID-19 patients. According to…
Summary A Chinese study investigated the effects of low calcium levels in critically ill COVID-19 patients. In this study, 107 COVID-19 patients were involved: 67 patients with low calcium levels and 40 patients with normal calcium levels. Several important parameters associated with infectious diseases were measured. It was found that these parameters were worse in…
Summary This study investigated the effects of vitamin D on inflammatory factors in COVID-19 patients. One group of patients received vitamin D daily; the other group only received the standard treatment. The results showed that vitamin D supplementation has a beneficial effect on COVID-19 by reducing inflammatory factors. No side effects were observed. More details…
Summary This study investigated the effect of vitamin D3 supplementation in Covid-19 patients. 66 residents of a nursing home participated in the study. The patients received the vitamin D3 supplementation during or in the month before the Covid-19 infection (intervention group). It was shown that vitamin D3 intake was associated with less severe Covid-19 and…
Summary 986 hospitalized patients with Covid-19 were involved in this study, including 151 patients (16%) who received vitamin D therapy. This study showed that supplementation of vitamin D reduced the risk of mortality in Covid-19 patients. More details can be found in the study. References Stephanie F Ling, Eleanor Broad, Rebecca Murphy, Joseph M Pappachan,…
Summary This study investigated the effect of high-dose zinc infusions on Covid-19 patients. 33 hospitalized adults participated in this study, including 15 patients who received a high-dose zinc infusion and 18 patients who received a placebo. Participants with zinc infusion showed an improved zinc level after the administration period, without adverse side effects. More details…
Summary In this study, the effects of a combination of vitamin C, thiamine (vitamin B1), and hydrocortisone were investigated in a treatment group of 53 patients with severe pneumonia. These patients were compared to a control group of 46 patients who did not receive this micronutrient combination. The results showed that the mortality rate decreased…
Summary This study investigated the effect of high-dose intravenous vitamin C supplementation in patients receiving intensive care treatment for Covid-19. 54 critically ill patients were involved in this study, including 26 patients who received the vitamin C infusion and 28 patients who received a placebo infusion. According to this study, vitamin C supplementation is an…
Summary In this study, a group of 17 COVID-19 patients received a combination of vitamin D, magnesium, and vitamin B12. 26 COVID-19 patients served as a control group. The patients who received the micronutrients had a lower need for oxygen therapy and intensive care support than patients in the control group. Further details can be…
Summary This study focused on the effects of a combination of specific micronutrients, including vitamin C, on COVID-19 infections. It was shown that this micronutrient combination can decrease the expression of ACE2 receptors used by the COVID-19 virus to enter the cells and block the potential interaction of the virus and the ACE2 receptors. According…
Summary In this study, vitamin D levels and rates of vitamin D deficiency were measured in 62 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 and 80 healthy controls. The results showed that vitamin D levels were much lower in COVID-19 patients than in the healthy control group. The lowest vitamin D levels were found in the most severe…
Summary This study measured the effects of vitamin D supplementation on Intensive Care Unit Admission and death rate among 76 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. The supplementation of a high dose of vitamin D showed that the need for Intensive Care Unit Treatment decreased and reduced the severity of the disease. Further details can be found in…
Summary This study assessed the effect of green tea catechins in reducing oxidative stress in patients with tuberculosis. Oxidative stress is essentially an imbalance between the production of free radicals and the ability of the body to counteract their harmful effects through neutralization by antioxidants. 200 patients with tuberculosis were enrolled in the study. 100…
Summary The present study evaluated the efficacy of vitamin E and selenium in reducing oxidative stress (i.e. enhanced formation of reactive oxygen species causing damage to the cells) in patients treated for tuberculosis. Study participants were allocated to either a study group or a control group. 17 patients from the study group were given vitamin…
Summary This study evaluated the effect of vitamin D on tuberculosis, as indicated by “sputum culture conversion”, i.e. an analysis showing that a patient is cured of tuberculosis. 146 patients with tuberculosis were given either vitamin D or no supplementation. The results showed that vitamin D administration hastened recovery from tuberculosis. Further details can be…
Summary This review collected scientific studies on the effects of arginine and vitamin D against tuberculosis. It was shown that arginine and vitamin D can reduce treatment time, reduce infectivity and improve treatment efficacy against drug-resistant tuberculosis. Further details can be found in the study. References Anna P Ralph, Paul M Kelly, Nicholas M Anstey Link…
Summary This study evaluated the blood levels of antioxidants (vitamins C, E and glutathione) in tuberculosis patients and healthy persons. Reduced levels of antioxidants were found in tuberculosis patients who, consequently, were more susceptible to oxidative stress, which is an imbalance between the production of free radicals and the body´s antioxidant defences. More details can…
Summary This study analysed oxidative stress – the imbalance between the production of free radicals and the body´s ability to counteract their harmful effects through antioxidants – in tuberculosis patients, which is a predisposing factor for renal stone formation. Patients were divided in four groups: healthy people, tuberculosis patients a day before treatment, tuberculosis patients…
Summary This study analyzed the relationship between oxidative stress (imbalance between the production of free radicals and the antioxidant defenses of the body), tuberculosis and the role of green tea extract in repairing the damage caused by oxidative stress. The experiments were performed with mice. The results showed that there are high levels of oxidative…
Summary The present study estimated the blood levels of zinc and albumin (protein) in tuberculosis patients with and without HIV and compared them with the levels in healthy family members. The results showed that zinc and albumin levels were significantly low in tuberculosis patients – irrespective of their HIV status – and that both levels…
Summary This study investigated the blood levels of zinc in tuberculosis patients, with the aim to evaluate the effectiveness of anti-tuberculosis therapy. 50 tuberculosis patients and 30 healthy participants were included and tested for their zinc levels. The authors found that zinc can boost the immune system if applied during the course of treatment, thereby…
Summary The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of vitamin D supplementation in tuberculosis patients. 67 patients were given either vitamin D or a placebo. The results showed that all patients receiving vitamin D supplementation had “sputum conversion”, which is an analysis indicating that tuberculosis patients are cured. Further details can be…
Summary In this study the association between vitamin A deficiency and tuberculosis was investigated. 300 participants were categorized as mild tuberculosis and severe tuberculosis. The results showed that severe tuberculosis was associated with vitamin A deficiency. Further details can be found in the study. References T A Pakasi, E Karyadi, Y Wibowo, Y Simanjuntak, N M D Suratih, M Salean, N…
Summary This study investigated the blood levels of vitamin A in 100 HIV-positive and HIV-negative tuberculosis patients and 144 blood donors. The results showed that vitamin A deficiency is common in tuberculosis and HIV infection, particularly in those patients who are infected with both diseases. It was also found that nutritional supplementation can be beneficial…
Summary Micronutrient deficiency is a key factor in the progression of tuberculosis. Based on this understanding, the present study evaluated the effect of a micronutrient supplementation, including vitamin A, B, C, E and selenium, in adults with tuberculosis. 471 adults infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and 416 HIV-negative adults with tuberculosis were investigated. The…
Summary The current study analyzed the effect of vitamin D in enhancing the immune system against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that induces tuberculosis. It was reported that T cells (white blood cells that are important for the immune system) can fight Mycobacterium tuberculosis with the help of vitamin D. The experiment were performed with cells.…
Summary This study evaluated blood levels of trace elements (copper, zinc, selenium and iron) in tuberculosis patients with or without human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). A total of 155 patients with tuberculosis, including 74 patients suffering from HIV, and 31 healthy participants were investigated. The results indicated that tuberculosis patients had reduced levels of trace elements…
Summary Tuberculosis and pneumonia are both infections of the lungs. This study was conducted to analyze the levels of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and its oxidized forms (dehydroascorbic acid and diketogulonic acid) in the blood of patients with tuberculosis and pneumonia. It was found that ascorbic acid was decreased in these patients, suggesting the necessity…
Summary This study evaluated the effects of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG, the main component of green tea) and triclosan (antibacterial agent) against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis. The experiments showed that EGCG inhibited Mycobacterium tuberculosis and increased the inhibitory activity of triclosan against this bacterium. More details can be found in the study. References…
Summary This study assessed blood levels of vitamin B12 in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. Blood levels of vitamin B12 were evaluated in 60 patients with HIV infection. The results showed that low blood levels of vitamin B12 are often found in HIV-infected patients. More details can be found in the study. References A F…
Summary This study evaluated blood levels of vitamin B12 in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). 11 patients with AIDS and vitamin B12 malabsorption (poor intestinal absorption of vitamin B12) were investigated. In addition, 15% of 121 patients with AIDS and 7% of 27 patients without AIDS who were HIV-positive had low vitamin B12 levels.…
Summary This study investigated whether vitamin A and zinc supplementation increases the efficacy of antituberculosis treatment. 80 patients with tuberculosis were divided into 2 groups: one group received vitamin A and zinc daily for 6 months. The second group received no supplementation. Additionally, both groups were given the standard treatment for tuberculosis. The results showed…
Summary People infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) suffer from inflammation and depleted glutathione (antioxidant) levels. Inflammation itself can lead to decreased levels of glutathione. This study evaluated the ability of N-acetylcysteine to interfere with these mechanisms. The results showed that N-acetylcysteine was able to inhibit inflammation and replenish depleted glutathione levels. The researchers suggested…
Summary This review collected scientific studies on the efficacy of micronutrients against HIV. The results were as follows: N-acetylcysteine and alpha-lipoic acid interrupted the virus activation, glutamine improved glutathione (antioxidant) levels and carnitine was effective in the (nutritional) treatment of HIV. More details can be found in the publication. References L Patrick Link to…
Summary This study determined the effects of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), one of the components of green tea, on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. HIV-infected cells were treated with EGCG. The results showed that EGCG strongly inhibited the replication of the virus. More details can be found in the study. References Gianfranco Fassina, Anna Buffa, Roberto Benelli, Oliviero E Varnier, Douglas…
Summary This study assessed the correlation between micronutrient intakes and immune system function in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients. CD4 cells were counted in 119 patients. CD4 cells are white blood cells that boost the immune system. Their number is reduced in HIV-infected patients. The results showed that higher intakes of vitamin A and D…
Summary Growth failure is common in children infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This study evaluated the relationship among growth, death rate and nutrition. Blood levels of vitamin A, carotenoids and vitamin E were investigated in 194 HIV-infected infants. The results showed that vitamin A and low blood levels of carotenoids were associated with decreased…
Summary This study investigated whether a specific micronutrient supplementation is effective and safe in delaying the progression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. 878 HIV-infected adults were investigated. Over the period of 2 years, the study participants took a single supplement containing multivitamins and selenium. The supplement was found to be effective in reducing the…
Summary Decreased blood levels of vitamin B12 often occur in patients with acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and can contribute to nervous system disorders that are frequently attributed to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This study evaluated the effect of vitamin B12 administration in a patient with AIDS and dementia. As it turned out, treatment…
Summary This study examined the effects of multivitamin and vitamin A supplements on the body weight of immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected pregnant women. 1075 pregnant, HIV-positive women were given multivitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid, and vitamins B-6, B-12, C, and E), vitamin A, multivitamins including vitamin A, or no supplementation on a daily basis. Weight…