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Wearing masks, keeping your distance, washing your hands – commandments that currently apply worldwide. Conversely, we cannot wait until an effective drug against COVID-19 is found or a vaccine is developed. Straight? Almost.
There is something else that matters more now than ever and that should play a role no less important than good hand hygiene. Something that does not find a prominent place neither in the public debate nor in the catalog of government recommendations: a functioning immune system.
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Biochemist Adrian Gombart, who researches at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University on the relevance of nutrients to the immune system, wanted to change this fact. Together with his colleagues, he began creating a review document that summarizes the results of studies on various nutrients and their impact on the human immune system. Findings that may be an additional weapon in the fight against the new corona virus.
Nothing works without vitamins
“The steps taken are important. But it is also important that we pay attention to our nutritional status so that our immune system can function,” says Gombart. This is particularly important in stressful times like these, when we tend to console ourselves with junk food. Enough nutrients? We are less interested
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Vitamin C and D or other micronutrients such as zinc, iron and selenium are much more than a “nice to have”. In the worst case, lack of nutrients can open the door to the virus because the body cannot defend itself against intruders. For people who already belong to a risk group, the risk of a serious course of the disease is particularly high.
This is based on a simple biochemistry: “Every cell in our body uses different micronutrients to function,” says Gombart. Micronutrients include vitamins, minerals, and omega fatty acids.
Unlike macronutrients like fats, carbohydrates, and proteins, micronutrients do not provide energy to the body. However, they are essential to the basic functions of an organism. Not only for cellular metabolism, but also for the immune system.
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Defense lines are maintained
Adrian Gombart is primarily researching vitamin D. “A few years ago, our research group discovered that vitamin D regulates the expression of a gene that encodes an antimicrobial peptide,” he says. These peptides are involved in the nonspecific defense mechanisms of our body. “Vitamin D is also involved in the regulation of other immuno-relevant genes.”
Conversely, a lack of vitamin D can create a gap in our body’s defenses. Intruders have an easier time. At best, the human body can do a lot to defend itself.
Penetrating germs must first pass through the skin and mucous membranes. Once they have overcome this first line of defense, the body reacts to invaders with phagocytes, antimicrobial proteins, and inflammation. These processes are part of the non-specific defense mechanisms. If the defense doesn’t help with the shotgun, it has to be more accurate.
SARS-CoV-2 can only be combated by a very specific immune response. Lymphocytes detect foreign microorganisms and foreign molecules; viruses are one of them. Lymphocytes can produce antibodies and attack a sniper in battle.
Vitamin C against pathogens
These processes can only take place correctly if the body is well equipped. With vitamin C, for example. “Vitamin C is necessary, among other things, to form reactive oxygen species, also known as oxygen radicals. These radicals are another weapon of the body in the fight against pathogens.”
Vitamin C is also involved in the production of antibodies, without which the body cannot keep COVID-19 at bay. Therefore, patients who develop the new virus and are in intensive care are treated with high doses of vitamin C, says Isabelle Schiffer.
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Schiffer is a geriatric geneticist and researcher and the scientific spokesperson for the “forever healthy” foundation. Even if the foundation’s name sounds more like wellness, it’s about real science. When there is no pandemic right now, Schiffer and his colleagues are concerned with the question of how people can grow as healthy as possible. Their recommendations are based on the findings of various scientific sectors.
Scientifically considered naturopathy
This holistic approach also includes naturopathy. In order to “make a contribution” in the Corona era, as Schiffer says, the forever healthy team looked for medicinal plants, the effectiveness of which has been confirmed in clinical studies.
“We found that there is very little knowledge about herbal substances that can help alleviate symptoms or ease the course of an infection,” says Schiffer. It is important for the scientist to emphasize that naturopathy cannot replace conventional medicine, but can complement it.
“Many people who hear the term ‘naturopathy’ immediately have the image of the miracle healer who wants to cure cancer in their heads. Of course, that’s not what naturopathy can do,” says Schiffer. It is much more about strengthening the immune system.
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Botanical ingredients that Schiffer and his colleagues have identified as potentially useful in the fight against COVID-19 include elderberry. “Clinical studies have shown that elderberry extract reduces the likelihood of a cold and shortens the duration of respiratory problems associated with the flu,” says Schiffer.
Food or supplement?
The positive effect of elderberry has nothing to do with the hocus-pocus, but with biochemistry: it contains numerous vitamins and trace elements. Both Isabelle Schiffer and Adrian Gombart think that it is currently advisable to increase the dose of vitamins and other micronutrients with the help of supplements. Most of them lack vitamin D in particular.
The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is of a different opinion: “Basically, a balanced and varied diet provides the healthy body with all the substances necessary for life,” says a statement. However, the institute admits that there are exceptions to this rule.
The need for nutrients increases during pregnancy and lactation. Older people are also more likely to be neglected. In the current situation, they belong to risk group number one.
There are many indications that the issue of a functioning immune system deserves a higher priority in the political debate on population health. A healthy diet should not be a matter of lifestyle, but a measure to prevent disease. How to wash your hands well.
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