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 levels compared to a control group of 150 healthy people. 24% of the patients were severe vitamin D deficient compared to 7.3% in the control group. Among 12 COVID-19 patients with severe lung problems who required oxygen treatment, 11 (91.7%) were deficient in at least one micronutrient. These results showed that a vitamin D or selenium deficiency decreases the immune defenses against COVID-19. More details can be found in the study.
References
Im et al.