There is not enough evidence to know if over-the-counter vitamins and mineral supplements are helpful, harmful or have no effect in treating symptoms of COVID-19.
Vitamin D is important for immune function and may help prevent severe COVID-19 symptoms.
Recommendations for vitamin D are that all adults should take a 10ug (400IU) supplement during the winter (October-March). At-risk adults may also need to take the same supplement all year - ask your pharmacist or other healthcare professional for advice on this. Higher doses of vitamin D can weaken bones and harm the kidneys. Only take a higher dose on the advice of your healthcare professional.
Arginine or glycine supplementation may be a new nutritional strategy to reduce the effects of bacterial infection on lungs (specifically alveolar function) (Ferrara, De Rosa and Vitiello, 2020). However, there is no strong evidence to support the use of this in practice and further studies are needed before recommendations can be made.
Want to know more about nutrition and COVID-19?
You can watch our Q&A session with topic experts where they discuss the use of supplements.
Listen to or watch our podcasts about:
- Diet and COVID-19
- Dietary advice and symptoms, malnutrition, antihistamine diets
- Anti-inflammatory diets with a discussion about the Mediterranean diet in more detail
- Links between food and COVID-19 symptoms which explains how to monitor your symptoms and possible dietary changes you could make