Zinc – The savior or myth?

Khevna.P.Shah, INN/Bangalore

Content Writer

Ever since the coronavirus has broken out into the world, all the researchers, scientists, and doctors are finding a way to create a cure for it. The pandemic has affected the nation economically and socially. In the current situation, where the rate of deaths is increasing, but the vaccines, beds, medication are insufficient. While the stores were in shortage of toilet paper roll and sanitizers, the medical stores were also facing a shortfall with Zinc supplements. But why Zinc?

Zinc is one of those nutrients that helps the body stay healthy. It is cardinal for the immune system as it helps fight the invading bacteria and viruses. It also assists the body in making DNA and protein, important for infant and child development. Zinc also helps wounds heal and is important for proper senses of taste and smell. It is an essential element for the human body responsible for the catalytic activity of more than 100 enzymes synthesis of genetic materials and maintaining cell integration. And being an essential nutrient, zinc cannot be produced or stored in the body and needs to be supplement through diet. As recommended by the dietician, an adult Indian needs 10-15mg/day zinc to meet the dietary allowance. Oysters are the best-known sources of zinc. Other food sources include kinds of seafood such as crab, lobster, animal sources like red meat, poultry, and plant sources such as beans, nuts, whole grains, and breakfast cereals. Despite all these advantages, anything taken in excess is harmful. An excess amount of zinc intake may cause copper deficiency, anemia and even damage to the nervous system.

But what does Zinc have to do with coronavirus? COVID-19 is the name of the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, which is part of the coronavirus family. Zinc supplements have proven to treat and cure a common cold, caused by the rhinovirus, and as the cold being the result of coronavirus, there are studies that show that zinc might be the crucial element in the curing of coronavirus. But still, research is going on for definite results. The patients who tested positive for coronavirus are facing a drop in their immunity level and are diagnosed with the symptoms of a common cold. And both the factors can be cured by Zinc supplements, the researchers are still not entirely leaning on to it. “According to Br Scott Read, senior lecturer, School of Medicine at Western Sydney University, “In the current situation, zinc emerges as an important element of choice for the management of Covid-19 symptoms along with anti-infective and other antiparasitic drugs,” Zinc is probably labelled as the second most important nutrient after Vitamin D that can fight against the novel coronavirus as the association of zinc deficiency with severe Covid outcomes in the patients.  According to David Hafler, professor of neurology and immunology at Yale School of Medicine, “There’s no question that zinc is important. … But once you have the minimal amount of zinc, there’s no evidence that adding more boosts the immune system,”

Despite Zinc being labelled as the second most important nutrient, the results are not promising as it was expected to be. For instance, researchers from Spain reported finding an association between low zinc levels in the blood and poor health outcomes among patients with Covid-19. The researchers concluded that their findings showed “lower zinc levels at admission correlate with higher inflammation in the course of infection and poorer outcome,” and “plasma zinc levels at admission are associated with mortality in Covid-19.” However, they added, “further studies are needed to assess the therapeutic impact of this association.” In addition, in a study of hospitalized Covid-19 patients in New York, researchers found that patient treated with zinc in combination with the antimalaria drug hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin were about half as likely to die or be transferred to a hospice when compared with patients who did not receive zinc.

The results are not yet quite promising and reliable, but health researchers are working to find a cure for this death-threatening virus. But until then it is the responsibility of the citizen to follow the norms given by the World Health Organization. An act of the responsible citizen is to maintain a safe distance in public, wearing the mask, maintaining a healthy diet and increasing immunity, getting vaccinated and staying at home, unless emergency.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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