Reviews of Science for Science Librarians: Vitamins and Trace Elements that May Be Preventive or Ameliorating in This Age of Contagion

Abstract

Prompted by COVID-19, many laypersons now seek information on nutritional support to ward off or help shorten the effects of serious infectious diseases, and are attracted to practices and substances that lack a serious scientific basis. This paper scanned peer-reviewed medical literature to prove a concept: That diets or supplements rich in some vitamins or minerals may indeed be important in managing threats to health caused by a variety of infectious diseases in the past and compares these findings to the current recommendations of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and to research by Zhang and Liu, two China-based pioneers in countering COVID-19. Vitamins A, D, and zinc, are common to both groups and are well supported in the literature. Vitamin C is also a common denominator but has a mixed record of efficacy in dealing with prior infectious outbreaks. Iron has support and do some other vitamins and trace elements. Health science librarians should emphasize that while experts can disagree on particular micronutrients they tend to agree that decisions on protective or curative supplements or diets or should have some basis in fact.