Zinc is a micronutrient that has long been known to help with colds. People suck on zinc lozenges for sore throats, spray zinc liquid in their noses for sniffles and take zinc pills when they're feeling a cold coming on.
So being in the midst of a global pandemic, it makes sense that researchers would ask the question: "How does zinc impact this coronavirus?" Among the first well-done, peer-reviewed journal articles was one published in February in the science journal Nutrients.
This research simply looked at zinc levels of 249 people upon admission to the hospital with a Covid-19 diagnosis. The threshold level was above or below 50 µg/dL of zinc in their blood serum.
The median time to clinical recovery in this cohort was 9.5 days. People with a serum zinc (SZC) level below 50 µg/dL had a median time to recovery of 25 days. The people with a SZC above 50 µg/dL had a median time to recovery of 8 days.
The mortality rate of those whose SZC levels were below 50 µg/dL was 21%, compared to 5% of those whose SZC levels were above 50 µg/dL.
SZC levels lower than 50 µg/dL at admission to the hospital showed a worse clinical presentation, longer time to reach stability, and higher mortality.
While this study did not look at zinc as a clinical treatment, it is none the less a strong indication of the importance of zinc to wellness.
To read the full article from Pubmed, click here.
0 Comment