If we are going to count on COVID-19 vaccines to end the pandemic, we need to maximize its effects. But one thing that is at risk of undermining your protection is nutritional deficiency, especially in the elderly.
Older people have weaker immune responses and are known to respond less well than younger adults to many vaccines, including the seasonal flu vaccine. This is partly due to fragility, which cannot be easily remedied, but can also be caused by deficiencies in vitamins and minerals – known as micronutrients.
For the immune system to fight infection or generate good protection against disease after vaccination, it needs a variety of micronutrients. This is likely to be as true for COVID-19 as it is for other diseases. Considering that malnutrition is common among the elderly, increasing their levels of vitamins and minerals before being vaccinated may be a way to increase the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines.
Energizing the immune system
As the European Food Safety Authority notes, vitamins A, B6, B9, B12, C and D and the minerals zinc, selenium, iron and copper are needed for the immune system to function as it should.
Each of these micronutrients – as well as vitamin E – has been shown to play several roles in supporting immune function and reducing the risk of infection. The research found a link between having a weakened immune system and having low amounts of many vitamins and minerals.
When the immune system is not properly supplied and is impaired, this can lead to poor responses to the vaccine. For example, a review of nine studies – involving 2,367 people together – found that individuals with vitamin D deficiency were less protected against two strains of flu after being vaccinated compared to those who had adequate levels of vitamin D.
In contrast, randomized controlled studies of micronutrient supplements (such as vitamin B6, vitamin E, zinc and selenium) in older people have been shown to increase the immune system’s ability to respond to challenges. In addition, it appears that the immune system needs vitamins C, D, and E in addition to zinc and selenium in excessive amounts to function optimally, which can usually be achieved by diet alone. For example, selenium levels above those typically considered optimal have been associated with a better cure rate for COVID-19.
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Trials in older people have also shown that responses to vaccination are better after actions are taken to improve nutrition. For example, a study found that people aged 65 to 85 who ate five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day showed a significantly stronger response to a pneumococcal vaccine than people of the same age who ate only two servings of fruits and vegetables or less .
In another study, daily administration of vitamin E supplements to people over 65 years of age increased the amount of antibodies produced after vaccination against hepatitis B and tetanus. And in people with selenium deficiency, daily supplements have been found to improve some aspects of their immune response to a live poliovirus vaccine and also to reduce the appearance of mutant viral strains.
This latest result illustrates the fact that new viral variants are more likely to appear in people whose bodies are “oxidatively stressed”. Oxidative stress can be caused by eating inadequate levels of antioxidant nutrients – for example, selenium and vitamin E.
It’s time for booster supplements
All of this becomes problematic when you know how common nutritional deficiency is. In a nutrition review that covered seven Western countries, people over 60 were deficient in selenium, zinc, iodine and copper.
And although this problem disproportionately affects the elderly, it is not limited to older age groups. The UK’s National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2019 showed “a sustained worsening of food intake and chronic shortage of several of the nutrients involved in supporting normal immune functions” in all age groups. The micronutrients that people lacked included vitamins A, B12, C and D and the minerals zinc, selenium and copper.
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These micronutrient deficiencies may limit the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. Therefore, we propose that all those at risk of nutritional insufficiency should take a supplement containing the recommended daily dose of nutrients important for immune function for a period of weeks before and after receiving the vaccine. People who could benefit from this include elderly people with low weight, people on restricted diets and certain BAME communities who may be at risk for vitamin D deficiency.
It is possible to buy multivitamin and mineral supplements for three months for no more than £ 3.00. Ideally, such a supplement would be provided free of charge by governments or health authorities for all those over 70 years of age. When compared to the average cost of vaccination per person, this would provide a great potential gain with only a modest investment.