Khabour Omar F, Hassanein Salwa F M
Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan.
Department of Food Science and Technology, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Heliyon. 2021 Mar;7(3):e06538. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06538. Epub 2021 Mar 15.
The COVID-19 infection is characterized by a wide spectrum of severity that ranges from mild to severe lethal symptoms. The optimal status of vitamins and minerals in the body is important to maintain proper immune response to overcome infections including COVID-19. Certain foods and medicinal plants have been shown to boost the immune system.
In the current study, the use of vitamin and zinc supplements, medicinal plants, honey, garlic, and immune-boosting drinks among Egyptian living in Benha city were investigated during the corona pandemic.
An online questionnaire was distributed through Google forms. A total of 301 adult participants (age range: 18-82) from Benha city, Egypt were included in the study. The Chi2 goodness of fit test was used to determine the differences in the distribution of the participant responses.
The use of vitamin C and D were reported by 27% and 17.7% of participants. About one-third of participants reported the use of immune-boosting drinks, honey, and garlic during the pandemic to strengthen the body immunity. The use of and was reported by 47.2% and 31.6% respectively. Concerning zinc supplements, only 5.6% of the sample reported using it during the pandemic. The use of examined nutrients was found to be associated with age (P < 0.05) and the fear score from the virus (P < 0.05), but not with other factors such as sex, income, and educational level.
The uses of supplements, medicinal plants, and immune-boosting drinks to strengthen the immune system during the pandemic were common among the participants. The present findings may help comprehend some health practices related to the COVID-19 pandemic that might be considered by health policymakers.
新冠病毒感染的特征是严重程度范围广泛，从轻微症状到严重致命症状。体内维生素和矿物质的最佳状态对于维持适当的免疫反应以战胜包括新冠病毒感染在内的各种感染至关重要。某些食物和药用植物已被证明可以增强免疫系统。
在当前研究中，对本哈市的埃及居民在新冠疫情期间使用维生素和锌补充剂、药用植物、蜂蜜、大蒜及增强免疫力饮品的情况进行了调查。
通过谷歌表单分发在线问卷。本研究纳入了来自埃及本哈市的301名成年参与者（年龄范围：18 - 82岁）。采用卡方拟合优度检验来确定参与者回答分布的差异。
27%的参与者报告使用了维生素C，17.7%的参与者报告使用了维生素D。约三分之一的参与者报告在疫情期间使用增强免疫力饮品、蜂蜜和大蒜来增强身体免疫力。分别有47.2%和31.6%的参与者报告使用了[此处原文缺失具体物质]和[此处原文缺失具体物质]。关于锌补充剂，只有5.6%的样本报告在疫情期间使用过。发现所检测营养素的使用与年龄（P < 0.05）和对病毒的恐惧得分（P < 0.05）相关，但与性别、收入和教育水平等其他因素无关。
在疫情期间使用补充剂、药用植物和增强免疫力饮品来增强免疫系统在参与者中很常见。本研究结果可能有助于理解一些与新冠疫情相关的健康行为，卫生政策制定者或许可以考虑这些行为。
