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Current Nutrition Reports
Published in: Current Nutrition Reports 3/2020

01-09-2020 | Acute Respiratory Distress-Syndrome | Functional Foods (CM Whisner, Section Editor)

Can Vitamins, as Epigenetic Modifiers, Enhance Immunity in COVID-19 Patients with Non-communicable Disease?

Author: Varsha Singh

Published in: Current Nutrition Reports | Issue 3/2020

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Abstract

Purpose of Review

The highly infectious transmissible disease, the novel SARS-CoV-2, causing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has a median incubation time of 5 to 15 days. The symptoms vary from person to person and many are “hidden carriers.” Few people experience immediate reaction and even death within 48 h of infection. However, many show mild to chronic symptoms and recover. Nevertheless, the death rate due to COVID-19 transmission is high especially among patients with non-communicable diseases. The purpose of this review is to provide evidence to consider vitamins as epigenetic modifiers to enhance immunity and reduce inflammatory response in COVID-19 patients with non-communicable diseases.

Recent Findings

Clinical evidence has suggested the risk of getting infected is high among individuals with non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, cancer, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and renal disease, as well as the elderly with high mortality rate among the cohort. The impact is due to an already compromised immune system of patients. Every patient has a different response to COVID-19, which shows that the ability to combat the deadly virus varies individually. Thus, treatment can be personalized and adjusted to help protect and combat COVID-19 infections, especially in individuals with non-communicable diseases.

Summary

Based on current published scientific and medical evidence, the suggestions made in this article for combination of vitamin therapy as epigenetic modifiers to control the unregulated inflammatory and cytokine marker expressions, further needs to be clinically proven. Future research and clinical trials can apply the suggestions given in this article to support metabolic activities in patients and enhance the immune response.
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Metadata
Title
Can Vitamins, as Epigenetic Modifiers, Enhance Immunity in COVID-19 Patients with Non-communicable Disease?
Author
Varsha Singh
Publication date
01-09-2020
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Current Nutrition Reports / Issue 3/2020
Electronic ISSN: 2161-3311
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13668-020-00330-4

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