Zinc and COVID-19

In the integrative medicine world, much attention has been focused on zinc lately. It has already been established that zinc strengthens the immune system, helps eyesight and heals wounds.

However, in COVID-19, it has been found to inhibit Replicase, the enzyme this coronavirus hijacks to make gazillions of copies of itself once it enters our cells via the ACE2 receptor. However, although saturating one’s cells with oral zinc may increase the intracellular level, what is really needed is a “zinc ionophore,” which is a carrier molecule that can escort zinc into the inside of the cell. Enter Hydroxychloroquine and Chloroquine, two known zinc ionophores, which may explain how these drugs have had an impact in some of the international case reports and unblinded studies.

However, these medications also come with some concerning adverse reactions such as a prolonged QT interval which can set us up for some life-threatening arrhythmias. The good news is that there are 2 supplements available that have little to no side effects that are also zinc ionophores. These are green tea and its extract, EGCG, and Quercitin, a flavonoid found in wine, onions, green tea, apples and berries. Both of these supplements you can find on our shelf.