Please forgive the “sciency” stuff. I geek out on it.
ZINC. Inside the cell, viral RNA molecules, like the ones which are the “brains” of Covid-19, are translated to produce RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, also known as Replicase. This is a key enzyme in the production of RNA viruses. RNA polymerase drives viral reproduction. It’s the “machinery”. The replicated RNA material is then packaged into virion particles, are released from the infected cell and can then infect other cells. Zinc inhibits the action of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase, but only if it’s in the cell. Zinc however is a positively charged ion and can’t get inside the cell without a transporter, an ionophore, a compound which transports a lipid across a cell membrane, made up mostly of lipid. Some lab studies have shown that the levels of zinc are significantly elevated in cells when the drug hydroxychloroquine was added, which is theorized to be partly why it may be. So, will taking zinc supplements help? Probably not to any significant degree. Although it has many extra cellular functions, it only seems to help with the viral infection if it can get into the cell. Another ionophore is quercetin.
QUERCETIN is a flavonoid phytonutrient found in many plants. Other phytonutrients include anthocyanin, which makes blueberries blue, resveratrol from grapes and wine and EGCG, which is found in high concentrations in Green tea. Quercetin has been reported to block SARS-CoV-1 in the lab but it has not been tested in SARS-CoV-2. It’s mode of action is theorized to be related to its activity as a Zinc ionophore (assisting in its transport into the cell where it can be active).
SO, these two compounds, zinc and quercetin, in combination, MAY be helpful and that is how we consume them when we eat whole fruits and vegetables. We don’t consume individual nutrients. We consume food, although 70+% of what is sold in stores can barely be considered “food”. It’s more like Frankenfood. The various nutrients in food are like the individual members of an orchestra. The orchestra as a whole produces the most beautiful music, rather than the individuals alone. The individuals work together, just like all the nutrients in food.
VITAMIN D. Remember that Vitamin D is not just a vitamin. It’s a hormone. I won’t get into the science here but there is plenty about it on the “Supplement” section on my website. There is some discussion on the web about Vitamin D upregulation of ACE-2 receptors, the ones to which the Cov-2 virus binds on the lining cells of the lungs. In a nutshell, vitamin D deficiency, among many other disturbances, impacts negatively on the renin-angiotensin system, a delicate balance in which the ACE-2 receptors, the enzyme ACE, the kidneys which make the enzyme renin and how they impact on blood pressure and fluid balance in the body. It acts as a suppressor of the renin production and increases ACE-2 levels. Although it might seem to make sense that the less ACE-2 receptors there are, the less chance the virus has of getting in, this is actually not exactly true. What is most important is the balance between the number and function of these receptors and the ACE enzyme. ACE-2 receptors get internalized when Cov-19 binds to it. ACE-2 receptors are key to preventing the severe reaction of the virus. THE SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE WORKING SMOOTHLY, just like everything else in the body. When disrupted, shit happens! Animal models show that Vitamin D administration improved lung outcomes, but only in those animals which had an already imbalanced system. Meaning, vitamin D normalizes things in situations where they are not normal. The bottom line, make sure your levels are where they should be. Supplement if low. Does adding more help if your levels are normal? Probably not.
What causes Vitamin D deficiency? First of all, it’s pretty common. About 70% of Americans are deficient while another 28% are insufficient. That is practically everyone! The most common cause is lack of sun exposure since it is generated on the skin when cholesterol molecules, exposed to UV rays, get converted into vitamin D and then get absorbed. Other risk factors include age, since vitamin D metabolism decreases with age as well as being overweight or obese, since vitamin D is fat soluble and is sequestered by the fat making less of the vitamin D bioavailable, by almost 50% as compared with healthy weight people. Populations with darker skin tones, because of the increased melanin which is a natural sunscreen.
MELATONIN. Known as the “sleep” hormone, melatonin does a lot more than just help up sleep properly. It controls the activity of over 500 genes, many associated with circadian rhythms which are mostly based on light exposure. Remember that we evolved with and our activities were based on the rising and falling of the sun. Melatonin also impacts on immune function inflammation as well as antioxidant activity. Although primarily made by the pineal gland in the brain, melatonin is also produced by cells in the gastrointestinal tract, retina as well as white blood cells, both in the peripheral blood and bone marrow. It’s production, especially in the pineal gland, decreases after 40. Many cells involved in immune function like NK (Natural Killer) cells, Mast cells as well as T cells contain melatonin receptors. Melatonin acts as both an activator of the immune system and an inhibitor of the inflammatory response. Melatonin levels rise with the setting of the sun and decrease as the morning approaches, IF allowed to proceed naturally. HOWEVER, we live in times where our circadian rhythms are hijacked by artificial light. Even one glimpse at your cell phone shuts off melatonin production and impairs sleep.
So, just like vitamin D as well as the issue of ACE-2 receptors, there is a natural balance of these substances which is important. Not too much and not too little.
I mentioned this in an earlier post but it is worth repeating. Supplements should be considered just that, supplements, not replacements for deficiencies in a healthy diet and lifestyle. If you are truly deficient, like vitamin D or B12, very common ones, that’s a different story. As always, it is better to get your fiber, vitamins, minerals and hormones from natural, whole sources like whole fruit and vegetables, exercise, rest, stress management… all the things which we evolved eating and doing for millenia. Foods and activities interact and impact on our bodies in a coordinated way, not as individual, isolated compounds. Supplements are usually isolated. A classic example is vitamin E. Most supplements come as 1 or maybe 2 forms. There are actually 8 forms of vitamin E and they are absorbed by the body in the ratios we need from whole foods. When you take a supplement, too much of that individual form of vitamin E is absorbed and it actually blocks the uptake of the other forms even if you get them from whole foods.
In the same way that supplements won’t make up for a crappy diet, a workout doesn’t make up for sitting on your butt all day either and remember that you can’t out-exercise a bad diet. Get up and move. Often.
This is my last post for the weekend (unless something really big comes up or an important question is posed). I need a break.
Have an awesome, safe weekend.
Stay safe and be well.
AC 😎✌️🌱❤🐖🏃🏻🧘🏻♂️🌎