The effect of macronutrient and micronutrient supplements on COVID-19: an umbrella review

SeyedAhmad SeyedAlinaghi; Ramin Shahidi; Hengameh Mojdeganlou; Fatemeh Khajeh Akhtaran; Seyed Farzad Maroufi; Seyede Parmis Maroufi; Pegah Mirzapour; Amirali Karimi; Sepideh Khodaei; Mehrzad Mohsseni Pour; Esmaeil Mehraeen; Omid Dadras

doi:10.1186/s41043-024-00504-8

The effect of macronutrient and micronutrient supplements on COVID-19: an umbrella review

J Health Popul Nutr. 2024 Jan 29;43(1):16. doi: 10.1186/s41043-024-00504-8.

Affiliations

¹ Iranian Research Center for HIV/AIDS, Iranian Institute for Reduction of High Risk Behaviors, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
² School of Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran.
³ Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
⁴ Social and Economic Statistics, Faculty of Mathematical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
⁵ School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
⁶ Faculty of Medicine, Semnan University of Medical Sciences, Semnan, Iran.
⁷ Department of Health Information Technology, Khalkhal University of Medical Sciences, Khalkhal, 5681761351, Iran. es.mehraeen@gmail.com.
⁸ Bergen Addiction Research, Department of Addiction Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.

Abstract

Background and aims: A healthy diet play an important role in the prevention and even treatment of various diseases. Proper nutrition plays an important role in boosting of immune system. These include the consumption of macronutrients such as proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, and also micronutrients including vitamins. Here, we aimed to systematically review the effects of macronutrients and micronutrients on the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

Methods: We searched the databases of PubMed, Scopus, Embase, and Web of Science on December 23, 2023. The records were downloaded into an EndNote file, the duplicates were removed, and the studies underwent a two-phase screening process based on their title/abstracts and full texts. The included articles were screened and underwent inclusion and exclusion criteria. We included the English systematic reviews and meta-analyses that concurred with the aim of our study. The selected articles were assessed by Cochrane's Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews for the quality check. The data of the eligible studies were extracted in a pre-designed word table and were used for the qualitative synthesis.

Results: A total of 28 reviews were included in this study. Most studies have shown that micronutrients are effective in morbidity and mortality controlling in viral respiratory infections such as COVID-19 but some studies have shown that micronutrients are sometimes not effective in controlling severity. On the other hand, calcifediol was by far the most successful agent in reducing intensive care needs and mortality between studies.

Conclusion: Individuals without malnutrition had a reduced risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe disease. The administration of Vitamin D is effective in reducing the morbidity and mortality of COVID-19 patients. Patients with vitamin D deficiency were more prone to experience severe infection, and they were at higher risk of morbidities and mortality. Other micronutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin B, and Zinc also showed some benefits in patients with COVID-19. Vitamin C showed no efficacy in COVID-19 management even in intravenous form or in high doses.

Keywords: COVID-19; Macronutrients; Micronutrients; Nutrients; Nutrition; SARS-CoV-2.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

COVID-19*
Humans
Micronutrients / therapeutic use
Nutrients / therapeutic use
SARS-CoV-2
Systematic Reviews as Topic
Vitamin A
Vitamins

Substances

Vitamins
Vitamin A
Micronutrients