Belgian researchers make remarkable discovery. Lack of proper nutrients could play a major role in Covid progression. Who knew!? I thought it was only lack of vaccines that caused disease. Translated article copied in post.
(www.hln.be)https://www.hln.be/medisch/belgische-onderzoekers-doen-opmerkelijke-ontdekking-bepaalt-voeding-of-u-ernstig-ziek-wordt-van-covid-19~adcd294a/Belgian researchers make remarkable discovery: does diet determine whether you become seriously ill from Covid?
What makes one person experience Covid-19 as a bad cold and that the other ends up in intensive care? Scientists have been looking for the answer to that question for a year and a half. Belgian researchers at Ghent University have now discovered that our diet could play a role. “It is a risk factor that is hardly talked about.” They explain how they discovered this and what you can do to keep that risk factor as low as possible.
Jeroen Bossaert 11-10-21, 14:24
Scientists from Ghent University have published a study indicating that people who become very seriously ill from the corona virus show a remarkable resemblance. They studied the blood of 138 covid patients who were admitted to UZ Gent and AZ Jan Palfijn last year. “We wanted to check the level of certain nutrients in the blood of the patients,” explains Professor Gijs Du Laing. As a bioengineer, Du Laing has long specialized in so-called 'micronutrients', which are microscopic nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. “We knew from previous studies that people with deficiencies in certain nutritional elements become much more severely ill with some viral infections. We wanted to find out whether this was also the case before Covid-19.”
Nearly all patients who would eventually become seriously ill or even die in hospital were found to have a serious deficiency of selenium and zinc in their blood when they were admitted.
Professor Gijs Du Laing (UGent)
The analysis of the Belgian Covid patients already revealed something remarkable. “Almost all patients who would eventually become seriously ill or even die in hospital were found to have a serious deficiency of selenium and zinc in their blood when they were admitted.” Among the Covid patients who failed, 7 in 10 were severely deficient in both selenium and zinc. Patients who did not have that deficiency or in whom it was less pronounced survived Covid-19 more often and healed more quickly. “They clearly became less seriously ill.” A selenium or zinc deficiency in the blood during hospitalization turned out to be a more important risk factor than the occurrence of diabetes, cancer, obesity or cardiovascular disease. “Which is remarkable,” notes Du Laing. “Because all those conditions as a risk factor for serious Covid disease are constantly being discussed, but not about a too low level of selenium or zinc in the blood. However, our research indicates that this risk factor may play a role.”
Germany and China
Du Laing and his colleagues are not alone with that theory. A similar study was previously published in Germany. There too, it turned out that the levels of selenium and zinc in the blood of Covid patients were remarkably strongly related to how great their chances of survival were. "And in China it was already discovered that regions where people have sufficient selenium in the blood, have much fewer Covid deaths," the Belgian researchers said.
Zinc and selenium can be found in meat and fish. So for healthy people with a normal immune system, it will often suffice to eat a balanced diet. The situation is different for people in vulnerable groups. They may benefit from supplements.
Professor Gijs Du Laing (UGent)
Does it mean that we should all start taking dietary supplements containing selenium and zinc? “I wouldn't take it that far,” says Du Laing. “You can also find both elements in meat and fish. So for healthy people with a normal immune system, it will often suffice to eat a balanced diet. The situation is different for people in vulnerable groups. Because they often have greater deficiencies, it may make sense for them to take extra selenium and zinc. I am thinking, for example, of diabetes patients or cancer patients and of elderly people in residential care centres.”
According to Du Laing, there is an urgent need to work on the nutrition in those residential care centers in particular. “If you know that there are a lot of vulnerable people there, extra attention should be paid to selenium and zinc in the diet. Quite a lot of elderly people hardly eat meat anymore. For example, because they have problems chewing and so just leave it alone. Currently, elderly people in residential care centers mainly receive iron supplements or vitamin D on top of their diet, while many also need selenium and zinc for the proper functioning of their immune system. General practitioners and specialists could also check the levels in the blood of the at-risk patients they monitor.”
Covid figures
The question is whether we would see a decrease in the number of Covid deaths and the number of Covid patients in Intensive Care in Belgium, if we were to give high-risk patients massive amounts of zinc and selenium in the coming weeks. “Based on our study, we can't say for sure,” says Du Laing. “However, we have known for a long time that these ... [rest was cut out].
