vitamin D

Vitamin D Deficiency Increases Risk of Severe COVID Infection & Mortality

More research confirms that maintaining optimal vitamin D levels is extremely important for reducing the risk of infection with SARS Cov-2. A six-week observational study of 154 people published in Nature found that 97 percent of individuals with severe COVID-19 had vitamin D deficiency (mean concentration was 14 ng/mL) compared to 33 percent of people…

green-tea-covid

Polyphenols in Green Tea, Chocolate and Other Foods May Protect Against COVID

Some of our favorite polyphenol-rich foods, including green tea, muscadine grapes, cacao, and dark chocolate appear to block an enzyme in the SARS-CoV-2 virus, inhibiting its replication. A docking simulation and in vitro study published in Frontiers in Plant Science found that these flavan-3-ol and proanthocyandin-containing foods can block and bind the function of this enzyme, or protease, which…

melanin-covid

Melatonin May Offer Significant Protection from COVID Infection, and especially for African Americans

Supplementing with melatonin may decrease the likelihood of contracting COVID, particularly among African Americans. Researchers analyzed data from an observational study of over 26,000 people from a COVID-19 registry at the Cleveland Clinic Health System and found that melatonin use is associated with a 52% reduced likelihood of a positive SARS-CoV-2 test in African Americans.…

covid-cold

Two Mechanisms Potentially Improving Acquired Immunity to COVID-19: The Common Cold and Breastmilk

People who have been exposed to a seasonal “common cold” may experience less severe COVID-19 symptoms. While we’ve discussed this topic previously, a study from the Journal of Clinical Investigation reports the first clinical evidence of cross reactivity with the common cold and COVID. This is due to previous immune responses against the four endemic…

covid data

Data Emerge on “Long” COVID Characteristics and Risk Factors

Long COVID is now recognized as a post-viral syndrome of chronic debilitating symptoms that can last for months. Similar post-viral syndromes that have been observed follow other infections such as influenza, pneumonia, Epstein-Barr virus, and HIV. New data from a recent study by Kings College London of 4 million individuals in the United Kingdom indicates that: It’s relatively…

Boost your Vitamin D Levels to Reduce COVID-19 Risk

Vitamin D is a superstar nutrient for supporting the immune system and reducing the risk of a cold, flu and acute respiratory tract infection. Researchers are now linking low vitamin D status (less than 20 ng/mL or 18 pg/mL, respectively) to an increased risk of COVID-19 in a study published this week. Vitamin D levels were tested in nearly 500 patients…

Myocarditis Symptoms in One-Third of Big Ten Athletes Positive for COVID-19

UPDATE: A clarification was issued by Penn State university the doctor was unintentionally citing outdated numbers. “During his discussion with board members, (Sebastianelli) recalled initial preliminary data that had been verbally shared by a colleague on a forthcoming study, which unbeknownst to him at the time had been published at a lower rate,” said Scott Gilbert,…

Early Cytokine Signatures Predict COVID Severity and May Guide Interventions

According to this new Nature paper, those with severe COVID are spiking higher cytokine signatures early on. This would suggest value in testing, including possibly IFN-gamma (see below), and addressing it early through anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle, as well as targeted anti-inflammatory nutraceutical interventions. This is, of course, a ‘standard’ approach used in Functional Medicine,…