Department of Clinical Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Institute for Basic Sciences, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2023 Jun;55:244-250. doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2023.03.013. Epub 2023 Mar 21.
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a devastating impact on health systems, food supplies, and population health. This is the first study to examine the association between zinc and vitamin C intakes and the risk of disease severity and symptoms among COVID-19 patients.
This cross-sectional study included 250 recovered COVID-19 patients aged 18-65 years from June to September 2021. Data on demographics, anthropometrics, medical history, and disease severity and symptoms were collected. Dietary intake was evaluated using a web-based, 168-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The severity of the disease was determined using the most recent version of the NIH COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines. Using multivariable binary logistic regression, the association between zinc and vitamin C intakes and the risk of disease severity and symptoms in COVID-19 patients was evaluated.
The mean age of participants in this study was 44.1 ± 12.1, 52.4% of them were female, and 46% had a severe form of the disease. Participants with higher zinc intakes had lower levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as C-reactive protein (CRP) (13.6 vs. 25.8 mg/l) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (15.9 vs. 29.3). In a fully adjusted model, a higher zinc intake was also associated with a lower risk of severe disease (OR: 0.43; 95% CI: 0.21, 0.90, P-trend = 0.03). Similarly, participants with higher vitamin C intakes had lower CRP (10.3 vs. 31.5 mg/l) and ESR serum concentrations (15.6 Vs. 35.6) and lower odds of severe disease after controlling for potential covariates (OR: 0.31; 95% CI: 0.14, 0.65, P-trend = <0.01). Furthermore, an inverse association was found between dietary zinc intake and COVID-19 symptoms, such as dyspnea, cough, weakness, nausea and vomiting, and sore throat. Higher vitamin C intake was associated with a lower risk of dyspnea, cough, fever, chills, weakness, myalgia, nausea and vomiting, and sore throat.
In the current study, higher zinc and vitamin C intakes were associated with decreased odds of developing severe COVID-19 and its common symptoms.
2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行对卫生系统、食品供应和人口健康造成了破坏性影响。这是第一项研究，旨在探讨 COVID-19 患者锌和维生素 C 摄入量与疾病严重程度和症状风险之间的关系。
本横断面研究纳入了 2021 年 6 月至 9 月期间年龄在 18-65 岁之间的 250 名康复的 COVID-19 患者。收集了人口统计学、人体测量学、病史以及疾病严重程度和症状的数据。膳食摄入量通过基于网络的 168 项食物频率问卷（FFQ）进行评估。使用 NIH COVID-19 治疗指南的最新版本确定疾病的严重程度。使用多变量二项逻辑回归评估锌和维生素 C 摄入量与 COVID-19 患者疾病严重程度和症状风险之间的关系。
本研究参与者的平均年龄为 44.1±12.1 岁，其中 52.4%为女性，46%患有严重疾病。摄入较高锌的患者具有较低水平的炎症细胞因子，例如 C 反应蛋白（CRP）（13.6 与 25.8mg/l）和红细胞沉降率（ESR）（15.9 与 29.3）。在完全调整的模型中，较高的锌摄入量也与较低的严重疾病风险相关（OR：0.43；95%CI：0.21，0.90，P 趋势=0.03）。同样，摄入较高维生素 C 的患者具有较低的 CRP（10.3 与 31.5mg/l）和 ESR 血清浓度（15.6 与 35.6），并且在控制潜在协变量后严重疾病的可能性较低（OR：0.31；95%CI：0.14，0.65，P 趋势 <0.01）。此外，发现膳食锌摄入量与 COVID-19 症状（例如呼吸困难，咳嗽，虚弱，恶心和呕吐以及喉咙痛）之间存在负相关关系。较高的维生素 C 摄入量与呼吸困难，咳嗽，发烧，发冷，虚弱，肌痛，恶心和呕吐以及喉咙痛的风险降低相关。
在当前的研究中，较高的锌和维生素 C 摄入量与 COVID-19 严重程度及其常见症状的可能性降低有关。
