Your immune system is your first line of defense against all disease, especially infectious disease, and there are many different ways to boost your immune system and improve its function. One nutrient that plays a very important role in your immune system's ability to ward off viral infections is zinc. Zinc gluconate,1 zinc acetate2 and zinc sulphate3 have all been shown to reduce the severity and duration of viral infections such as the common cold. Zinc also appears to be the key ingredient in treatment protocols using hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). The reason for this is because HCQ is a zinc ionophore (zinc transport molecule),4,5 meaning it's a drug that improves your cells' uptake of zinc. Once inside your cells, zinc prevents viral replication.6 This is also why zinc and zinc ionophores need to be taken very early in the illness, or as a prophylactic. The problem is that zinc is largely insoluble and cannot easily enter through the fatty wall of your cells. Getting all the way into the cell is crucial, as this is where the viral replication occurs. This is why zinc ionophores are so important. Aside from hydroxychloroquine, other natural, and safer, zinc ionophores include quercetin and epigallocatechin-gallate (EGCG). If given early, zinc along with a zinc ionophore should, at least theoretically, help lower the viral load and prevent the immune system from becoming overloaded. Zinc Is Crucial for Healthy Immune FunctionZinc is crucial for healthy immune function7 — like vitamin D, it actually helps regulate your immune function8 — and a combination of zinc with a zinc ionophore was in 2010 shown to inhibit SARS coronavirus in vitro. In cell culture, it also blocked viral replication within minutes.9 Importantly, zinc deficiency has been shown to impair immune function.10 As noted in a 2013 paper on zinc deficiency:11
Similarly, the September 2020 paper in Medical Hypotheses, "Does Zinc Supplementation Enhance the Clinical Efficacy of Chloroquine / Hydroxychloroquine to Win Todays Battle Against COVID-19?" points out that:12
Low Zinc Levels Increase COVID-19 Death RiskPreliminary data also suggest people with low zinc levels are more likely to die from COVID-19 than those with higher levels. The research13,14,15,16,17 was presented at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease (ESCMID) Conference on Coronavirus Disease,18 held online September 23 through September 25, 2020, and posted19 on the preprint server medRxiv October 11, 2020. In the video above, Dr. John Campbell reviews this and other zinc research. As noted by the authors of this study,20 "Zinc balances immune responses and also has a proven direct antiviral action against some viruses." As mentioned, zinc's primary antiviral action is to impair viral replication inside the cell. To evaluate the importance of plasma zinc levels on COVID-19 outcomes, the researchers did a retrospective analysis of 249 COVID-19 patients admitted to a hospital in Barcelona, Spain, between Mach 15 and April 30, 2020, for whom fasting plasma zinc levels were recorded. The average patient age was 63. Patients who had low zinc levels upon admission were found to have higher levels of inflammation during the course of their illness, and they were also more likely to die from complications related to COVID-19. As reported by Medical Xpress:21
Zinc Deficiency Linked to Poor COVID-19 OutcomesAnother paper22 reviewed by Campbell was published in the November 2020 issue of the International Journal of Infectious Diseases. Here, they found that people admitted to the hospital with COVID-19 related symptoms were more likely to be deficient in zinc than healthy controls. The median zinc level among hospitalized COVID-19 patients was 74.5 mcg/dl, compared to 105.8 mcg/dl in the control group. As reported by the authors:23
Importantly, while 70.4% of zinc deficient patients developed complications, only 30% of those with sufficient levels developed complications. As noted by Campbell, here we see that healthy controls had far higher zinc levels than patients with milder illness in the Spanish study. The hospitalized patients also had higher levels on average. This raises the question as to whether the Spanish cutoff level of 50 mcg/dl might be too low still. He points out that "normal" levels of zinc are between 72 mcg/dl and 144 mcg/dl. This seems to support the findings of the Spanish study, seeing how all of the patients were on the low side. Zinc Is a Key Component of MATH+ ProtocolAmong the most effective treatment protocols for COVID-19 is the MATH+ Protocol,24 developed by the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Working Group25 (FLCCC). In the interview above, Dr. Paul Marik explains how the COVID-19 critical care protocol grew out of his sepsis treatment (a core ingredient of which is vitamin C), as he and other doctors noticed there were many similarities between sepsis and severe COVID-19 infection, in particular the out-of-control inflammatory cascade. There are also distinct differences between the two conditions, and to address those, Marik and nine other physicians founded the FLCCC and began developing a modified protocol specifically for COVID-19. Zinc is one of the central components of this protocol. As of its July 2020 update, the protocol also includes the use of quercetin to facilitate zinc uptake. There are now MATH+ protocols26 for prophylaxis, mild symptoms that can be treated at home, and a full clinical in-hospital critical care protocol. The group has issued several updates since April 2020, so be sure to download the latest versions from the Eastern Virginia Medical School COVID Care for Clinicians site.27 Natural Zinc Transporters — Quercetin and EGCGAs mentioned, quercetin28 and EGCG are natural zinc ionophores that can do the same job as HCQ. According to a study29 published in 2014, many of the biological actions of quercetin and EGCG actually appear to be related to their ability to increase cellular zinc uptake. As explained by the authors:30
Aside from increasing zinc uptake, both quercetin and EGCG also inhibit 3CL protease31 — an enzyme used by SARS coronaviruses to infect healthy cells.32 As explained in a 2020 paper33 in Nature, 3CL protease "is essential for processing the polyproteins that are translated from the viral RNA." And, according to another 2020 study,34 the ability of quercetin, EGCG and certain other flavonoids to inhibit SARS coronaviruses "is presumed to be directly linked to suppress the activity of SARS-CoV 3CLpro in some cases." Niacin (vitamin B6) and selenium also improve the absorption and bioavailability of zinc. For example, a study35 published in 1991 demonstrated that when young women were on a vitamin B6-deficient diet, their serum zinc declined, suggesting B6 deficiency affected zinc metabolism such that "absorbed zinc was not available for utilization." A more in-depth exploration and explanation of both niacin and selenium's relationship to zinc is provided in the 2008 paper, "Zinc, Metallothioneins and Longevity: Interrelationships With Niacin and Selenium."36 More Support for QuercetinSupport for the use of quercetin against COVID-19 has also been reported by the Green Stars Project.37 Using the supercomputer SUMMIT, Oak Ridge National Lab researchers looked for molecules capable of inhibiting the COVID-19 spike protein from interacting with human cells. Quercetin is fifth on that list.38 Quercetin is also a potent antiviral in general. As detailed in "Quercetin Lowers Your Risk for Viral Illnesses," mechanisms of action that can make it useful against COVID-19 include:
Zinc-to-Copper Ratio Can Impact Immune FunctionWhen it comes to zinc supplementation, more is not necessarily better. In fact, it can frequently backfire is you do not also maintain a healthy zinc-to-copper ratio. As explained by Chris Masterjohn, who has a Ph.D. in nutritional sciences,45 in an article46 and series of Twitter posts:47
Another factor to keep in mind is that certain additives can inhibit zinc absorption, which is the complete opposite of what you're looking for. For instance, research has shown citric acid, glycine, mannitol and sorbitol can reduce zinc absorption,48 so zinc lozenges containing these ingredients may be less useful. How Much Zinc Do You Need?That said, the recommended dietary allowance for zinc in the U.S is 11 mg for adult men and 8 mg for adult women, with slightly higher doses recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women.49 As a prophylactic against COVID-19 and other viral infections, Masterjohn recommends taking 7 mg to 15 mg of zinc four times a day, ideally on an empty stomach, or with a phytate-free food. He also recommends getting at least 1 mg of copper from food and supplements for every 15 mg of zinc you take. Last but not least, remember there are many food sources of zinc, so a supplement may not be necessary. I eat about three-quarters of a pound of ground bison or lamb a day, which provides 20 mg of zinc. I personally don't take any zinc supplement other than what I get from my food, which is likely in an optimal form to maximize absorption. from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2020/10/26/zinc-for-covid.aspx
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