This systematic review and network meta-analysis investigated whether different vitamins, nutrients and dietary supplements can affect recovery and inflammation in adults with COVID-19. The researchers compiled 45 randomized controlled trials from 18 countries with a total of 3,793 patients.
The results show that some supplements can affect individual markers of inflammation. Vitamin C together with standard treatment reduced the inflammatory marker IL-6, while nanocurcumin increased the number of lymphocytes. Pomegranate juice also affected the ratio between neutrophils and lymphocytes, but the results were more uncertain and partly contradictory.
Most importantly, however, the researchers did not see any definite improvement in several clinically important outcomes. The dietary supplements did not reduce mortality and had no clear effect on, among other things, CRP, white blood cell count, neutrophils, fever, headache, cough or shortness of breath compared with standard treatment.
The researchers also emphasize that the results must be interpreted with caution. For several comparisons, the number of patients was small, a large part of the results were based on indirect comparisons and the evidence was often assessed as low or very low. Of the 45 included studies, 13 had a high risk of bias and a further eight had some methodological issues. The researchers themselves point out that the very large estimated reduction in IL-6 with vitamin C is likely unstable and should not be considered a reliable measure of treatment effect. The conclusion is therefore not that vitamins or dietary supplements can replace standard Covid treatment. Rather, the study shows that certain supplements can possibly affect specific laboratory values and therefore may be interesting as complementary treatment in certain situations. However, there is not yet strong enough evidence to say that they improve the most important clinical outcomes, and larger and better randomized studies are needed.
Text translated from Swedish, originally written by Patrik Andersson and published in Facebook group SARS-CoV-2 Omvärldsbevakning
Month: August 2026
A new study from UCLA shows that a viral protein other than the well-known spike protein may play an important role in severe COVID-19 and possibly even long-term COVID. The protein, called the nucleocapsid protein, is found inside the virus and is responsible for protecting its genetic material.
The researchers discovered that this protein affects the immune system in two opposite ways. Early in the infection, it suppresses the body’s antiviral defenses, which helps the virus establish itself. At the same time, it can later overactivate immune cells called macrophages. These release large amounts of inflammatory signaling substances, which can lead to severe inflammation and damage to the body’s tissues.
In laboratory experiments, the researchers saw that the severe inflammation caused the protective barriers of the blood vessels to become more permeable, especially in models of the blood vessels of the heart. This could help explain why some people with COVID-19 suffer from heart problems and other complications. The variant of the virus that had the strongest inflammatory effect was the delta variant.
The researchers believe that the results may help explain some of the long-term complications seen after COVID-19, where persistent overactive inflammation is thought to play an important role. They also believe that future treatments or vaccines that target the nucleocapsid protein, rather than just the spike protein, could reduce harmful inflammation more specifically and thereby protect, among other things, the heart and blood vessels.
The study was conducted on cell models in the laboratory and shows a possible biological mechanism. It does not prove that this alone causes long-term COVID in humans, but provides a new and important piece of the puzzle in understanding how SARS-CoV-2 can cause long-term symptoms.
Credit: Explaining text by Patrik Andersson (Facebook group “SARS-CoV-2 Omvärldsbevakning”)
A new large study of over 1,150 people hospitalized for COVID-19 shows that an infection with SARS-CoV-2 can activate viruses that had previously been dormant in the body. Almost half of the patients experienced such a virus reactivation, even though they had no known compromised immune system.
The researchers found that Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), cytomegalovirus (CMV) and so-called anelloviruses, among others, became active during different stages of the disease. People in whom these viruses were reactivated more often had a more severe COVID-19 in the first few weeks.
The study also investigated whether virus reactivation could be linked to long-term COVID. Unlike some previous studies, no clear connection was found between Epstein–Barr virus and long-term symptoms. However, a connection was seen between activation of anelloviruses and persistent symptoms such as fatigue and reduced physical strength. However, the researchers emphasize that the study cannot prove that the viruses cause the symptoms – only that they occur together.
The results also suggest that activated anelloviruses can affect the immune system and contribute to impaired immune regulation, but this needs to be confirmed in more studies.
The researchers point out that the participants in the study were unvaccinated and were infected with the early variants of the coronavirus before mid-2021. Therefore, it cannot be said that the results apply in the same way to people who have been vaccinated or infected with later virus variants.
The next step will be to investigate whether drugs that can prevent dormant viruses from activating can also reduce the risk of or alleviate long-term symptoms after covid-19. This could provide a better understanding of why some people develop long-term covid while others recover completely. (Translated from Swedish text written by Patrik Andersson in FB group SARS-CoV-2 Omvärldsbevakning )