The role of vitamins and minerals in the covid-19 vaccine
After so many twists and turns, so many investigations and trials and after passing government filters, we finally have the vaccines for the coronavirus with us.
We have already begun to immunize… And now what?
From this moment on, we are presented with new questions in the face of a new scenario.
Can the effectiveness of vaccines be increased by supplementing with a vitamin or mineral?
Do serum levels of immune-related vitamins influence the action of COVID-19 vaccines?
In this article that brings us together this week, we will try to investigate these points that can be of crucial importance in our health.
Here we go!
Always be prepared (nutritionally speaking)
It is well known that a more effective immune response requires a good nutritional status on the part of the person.
That is why the EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) has made statements about the health properties of the function of nutrients.
These include vitamins A, B6, B9, B12, C, and D, and the minerals zinc (Zn), selenium (Se), iron (Fe), and copper (Cu).
Effect based on scientific evaluation of its contributions to the normal functioning of the immune system.
Immunosenescence is not only related to fragile health, but also to malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies
Each of these micronutrients has been shown to have multiple key roles in supporting the immune system and reducing the risk of infections.
Esto se detalla en revisiones completas recientes que atestiguan la importancia de los micronutrientes individuales para la respuesta inmune y explican los múltiples mecanismos de acción involucrados.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33230497/
A cause-and-effect relationship between the previous state of blood micronutrient levels and responses to vaccination has also been demonstrated by randomized controlled trials.
These trials in older people have shown better responses to vaccination after an intervention.
For example, a randomized controlled trial of ≥5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day compared to ≤2 servings in people aged 65 to 85 years reported a better response to pneumococcal vaccination in the group that consumed the most fruits and vegetables.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23134881/
Let’s talk about trace elements
Also in another study, Se supplementation (50 or 100 μg/d) in adults in the UK with low polio status improved some aspects of the immune response to a polio vaccine and also reduced the occurrence of mutant viral strains.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15213043/
Studies in humans, particularly in the elderly and with underlying pathologies, have associated deficiencies in immune markers with a low state of micronutrients such as vitamin B6, vitamin C, Zn and Fe.
Such deficiencies, which could weaken the immune system, have been linked to poor responses to vaccines.
For example, a systematic review and meta-analysis of nine studies involving 2367 people found lower seroprotection rates for the influenza A H3N2 virus subtype and influenza B virus in those who were vitamin D deficient.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29587438/
Vitamins A, B6, B9, B12, C and D, and the minerals zinc, selenium, iron and copper contribute to the normal functioning of the immune system.
And speaking of vitamins
In the specific case of vitamin D, we have already talked about it that it has been widely implicated in improving the immune response and suppressing the cytokine storm. Its deficiency has been linked to increased susceptibility to viral infections.
This mechanism is mediated by immune cells (monocytes, dendritic cells, macrophages, B cells, and T cells) that express vitamin D receptors (VDRs) and are able to convert 25-hydroxy vitamin-D (25OHD) into active 1,25-(OH)2D form.
This allows for local regulation of 1,25-(OH)2D at the site of inflammation.
The binding of 1,25-(OH)2D to the VDR leads to the translocation of the complex to the cell nucleus where it modifies the expression of hundreds of genes, including those for cytokine production.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2016.00697/full
Vitamins C, D, E, zinc and selenium, if consumed in doses higher than those obtained with the diet, improve the immune response.
When viral infections produce the well-known cytokine storms, it is key to increase serum levels of antioxidants that would modulate the increased expression of cytokines that would culminate in a disproportionate inflammation that aggravates the condition of the patients involved.
Infection with SARS-CoV-2 increases the production of reactive oxygen species that cause significant lung damage leading to the subsequent development of adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
In this case, vitamin C would also be a key factor in the management of oxidative stress as explained by some studies.
Not only because of the existence of an increase in the general metabolic demands of the antioxidant, but also to generate a pool that provides a substrate in immune reactions.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6180524/
Another study, this time of vitamin E, showed an improvement in response to some vaccines in people over 65 years of age who received 60 or 200 mg of vitamin E daily compared to those in the placebo group.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9134944/
Conclusions
Finally, we conclude this article by saying that maintaining optimal serum levels of vitamins and trace elements in the body prior to vaccination is widely recommended.
The vitamins related to an improvement of the immune system are the ones that we have been talking about in this blog for some time and about which we have delved into in this article, those of the B, C, D, E complex and trace elements such as selenium, zinc, iron and copper.
From here we always encourage you to maintain a balanced diet high in antioxidants (eat with many colors), but it is true that reaching useful serum levels is not always achieved with food alone, even more so taking into account the rhythms of activities that daily life proposes.
Our commitment, research, development and advice work is not intended to fill us with supplements but quite the opposite, only what is needed and in moderation.
We want our patients, relatives and friends to be able to obtain the greatest benefits with careful, responsible and quality supplementation.
We hope this article has been to your liking and we will meet again next time with another point of view as we have already accustomed you.
Until next time!
