The unexpectedly strong antiviral effect of zinc after corona infection

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24.10.2024

A low zinc level is one hell of a risk factor when it comes to Covid. If you get Covid, an low zinc level increases the chance of you becoming seriously ill to a greater extent than classic risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes. This is evident from a medical-epidemiological study published in the International Journal of General Medicine.

The unexpectedly strong antiviral effect of zinc after corona infection

Study

Japanese internists from Juntendo University determined the concentration of zinc in the blood of 467 adult men and women who were admitted to hospital with Covid between April 2020 and August 2021.

Results
A low zinc level increased the risk of Covid-19. 35-40 percent of the study participants had a zinc level of less than 60 micrograms per deciliter and were therefore deficient.

According to Japanese guidelines, an optimal zinc level is 80 micrograms per deciliter or slightly higher. Only 6-7 percent of study participants were in this category.

The figure below shows this. Click on it for a larger version.

The table above gives you an idea of how often zinc deficiency occurs. We found it in a study that US Army researchers published in 2018 in the Journal of Nutrition. [J Nutr. 2018 Aug 1;148(8):1341-51.]

In the United States, the average zinc level is somewhere between 80-85 micrograms per deciliter. In Japan the situation will not be much different. This in itself suggests that zinc plays a significant role in whether or not you get Covid. But there is more.

The Japanese determined the severity of their study participants' illness and related it to their zinc levels. A low zinc level increased the risk of serious symptoms by almost a factor of four.

In the table below you can see that a poor zinc status outweighed the classic risk factors for Covid such as the use of medicines for high blood pressure or diabetes.

Conclusion
"Serum zinc deficiency was significantly associated with severe cases of Covid-19 compared to marginal deficiency and normal levels", write the Japanese. "In addition, the severity of Covid-19 was significantly related to the serum zinc concentration."

"These results suggest the importance of considering the serum zinc concentration in the treatment of patients with Covid-19."

Source:
Int J Gen Med. 2024 Oct 16:17:4745-53.

More:
Metastudy | Zinc reduces mortality in Covid-19 01.01.2024
This is the effect of zinc supplementation in covid | Trial 24.01.2023
Indeed, zinc protects against corona 16.07.2021
Preventing zinc deficiency, preventing (or surviving) covid 15.07.2021
Get over your cold quicker with a hefty dose of zinc 21.08.2015
High dose of zinc helps you get over a heavy cold faster 27.12.2011

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