For the last couple of weeks, I have been reading all the lists of what to do to protect yourself from the Coronavirus. Most of the recommendations are common sense. such as covering your mouth when you sneeze. In fact, many of the suggestions are the same ones to follow to avoid getting the flu. Finally, Dr. Mercola’s website:
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/03/09/coronavirus-prevention.aspx
This website has a long article with references about specific nutrients to help you combat this virulent virus. Here is just a small part of the article: a list of supplements to add to your whole foods diet. On the website is another chart with dosages:
(Direct Quote)
McCarty and DiNicolantonio list several nutrients available in supplement form that may be of particular benefit against COVID-19, including the following (below). For more details about each, see the full-text paper28 published in Progress in Cardiovascular Diseases:
| N-acetylcysteine (NAC) — Encourages glutathione production, thins mucus, lowers your chances of influenza infection and reduces your risk of developing severe bronchitis |
Elderberry extract — Known to shorten influenza duration by two to four days and reduce the severity of the flu. According to the authors:29
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| Spirulina — Reduces severity of influenza infection and lowers influenza mortality in animal studies. In a human trial, spirulina significantly lowered the viral load in patients with HIV infection |
| Beta-glucan — Reduces severity of influenza infection severity and lowers influenza mortality in animal studies |
| Glucosamine — Upregulates mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein (MAVS), reduces severity of influenza infection severity and lowers influenza mortality in animal studies |
Selenium — “Since selenium is an essential cofactor for certain peroxidases, and selenium deficiency has been endemic in certain regions of China and other parts of the world, insuring adequacy of selenium nutrition might also be appropriate in this context,” McCarty and DiNicolantonio note, adding:30
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| Zinc — Supports “effective function and proliferation of various immune cells,” lowering mortality in the elderly by 27% |
Lipoic acid — Helps boost type 1 interferon response. As explained in a 2014 paper:31
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| Sulforaphane — Helps boost type 1 interferon response |
A 2005 study32 in The Journal of Infectious Diseases also found resveratrol has the power to inhibit the replication of influenza A virus, significantly improving survival in influenza-infected mice. According to the authors, resveratrol “acts by inhibiting a cellular, rather than a viral, function,” which suggests it “could be a particularly valuable anti-influenza drug.”