DWQA QuestionsCategory: Coronavirus COVID-19A viewer asks: “I hate to bother you but I am concerned a bit about my own health. It could just be my deep subconscious in fear. I feel a little more conscious of my breathing than normal and was considering the protocol a doctor suggests for first signs of COVID-19—100,000 U of vitamin A (NOT beta-carotene), 50,000 U of vitamin D3, 5-10,000 mg of vitamin C per day for four days with hydration. Please let me know what this means and if I should proceed with this approach. My husband is adamant that Mayo Clinic’s recommendation for vitamin A is 700 U. He would be a tough sell without Creator to back me up.” What can we tell her?
Nicola Staff asked 3 years ago
This protocol is well-intentioned, but it is a general boost of multiple substances and so is a kind of shotgun approach. The substance of greatest benefit during a viral infection of this kind would be vitamin C, but that as well, to have its greatest benefit, needs to be properly timed with respect to the course of infection. During the very early stages, there is no need for a powerful antioxidative effect. That emerges later when there is the onset of tissue destruction with a corresponding burst of immune system reactivity to attack the presumed invaders it is detecting because of the sudden presence of the tissue products being released through cell damage. This wholesale immune attack is what causes dire physiological symptoms and an antioxidant like vitamin C in very high tissue levels can be lifesaving. To do this at the very earliest stage of symptoms makes little sense because it is not an antiviral per se. The buildup of immune system health through supplementation makes sense but not in mega doses, so this is, on the one hand, too early and, on the other hand, an overdose relative to what is needed to simply supply optimum body levels of these supplements to keep the immune system in fighting trim. That is a basal level of function and is easily achieved with recommended daily dose levels or some modest elevation as these levels are not perfectly understood by the mainstream. There can be adverse consequences in taking vitamins at too high a concentration and this is particularly true of vitamin A, as your husband rightly points out, in terms of the tremendous multiple in the recommended dose here compared to the daily requirement, which is also known to be safe to consume. So we would not recommend following such a guideline at first blush of symptoms affecting the respiratory system. There can be many things that come and go that are low-level irritants or even infectious organisms that are beaten back by an immune response to keep them in check and so they never become troublesome. The fact that COVID-19 is often very mild and even asymptomatic in some individuals makes this a very complicated situation, but when you are having mild symptoms you do not need huge doses of antioxidants for protection. That is only needed when there is frank tissue injury that is perceptible and will be causing profound symptoms, very, very high temperature, extreme fatigue, and gasping for breath, in effect, a life-threatening situation potentially. So we would simply recommend people adopt a healthy diet of fruits, vegetables, with some protein and fat allowed as well, and supplement with a broad-based mix of vitamins and minerals to make up for any dietary deficiency in terms of balance or maintaining uniform high daily levels of required nutrients.