Omega-3s listed as Potential Interventions for Novel Coronavirus

March 17, 2020 0 Comments

With the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 and lack of treatment, many have started searching for alternative ways to better prepare for the coronavirus. A review was published in The Journal of Medical Virology which outlines many different general treatments, that should be useful in fighting COVID‐19, which includes the use of omega-3s.

Here are 3 of the potential interventions for coronavirus taken from this publication.

1) Omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids

Long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids are important mediators of inflammation and adaptive immune responses. Your body needs omega-3s to be in a state of balance to properly fight off infection. Therefore, Omega‐3, which served as a novel antiviral drug, could be considered for one of the potential interventions of this novel virus, COVID‐19. Omega-3s can be found in fish, but to get a high enough dosage, supplementing with omega-3s is recommended.

2) Vitamin A

There are three active forms of vitamin A in the body, retinol, retinal, and retinoic acid. Vitamin A is also called “anti‐infective” vitamin and many of the body's defenses against infection depend on adequate supply, specifically for respiratory issues. You can get vitamin A from beef liver, sweet potato, carrots, black-eyed peas, spinach, broccoli, and red pepper. These foods rich in vitamin A  could be a promising option for the treatment of this novel coronavirus and the prevention of lung infection.

3) Zinc

Zinc is a dietary trace mineral and is important for the maintenance and development of immune cells of both the innate and adaptive immune system. Zinc can help inhibit the replication of the coronavirus and therefore, may affect not only COVID‐19‐related symptoms, like diarrhea and lower respiratory tract infection but also on COVID‐19 itself. Zinc can be obtained through supplementation or found in foods from meat, seeds, nuts or dairy.

During these times, it is important to take the advice of healthcare and government professionals. As a society, we can overcome these threats and help one another move on to live a well and healthy life.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

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