The role of vitamin B12 in viral infections: a comprehensive review of its relationship with the muscle–gut–brain axis and implications for SARS-CoV-2 infection
Kamila S Batista, Vanessa M Cintra, Paulo A F Lucena, Raul Manhães-De-Castro, Ana E Toscano, Larissa P Costa, Maria E B S Queiroz, Suellen M De Andrade, Omar Guzman-Quevedo, Jailane De S Aquino
Nutrition Reviews, doi:10.1093/nutrit/nuab092
This comprehensive review establishes the role of vitamin B 12 as adjunct therapy for viral infections in the treatment and persistent symptoms of COVID-19, focusing on symptoms related to the muscle-gut-brain axis. Vitamin B 12 can help balance immune responses to better fight viral infections. Furthermore, data from randomized clinical trials and meta-analysis indicate that vitamin B 12 in the forms of methylcobalamin and cyanocobalamin may increase serum vitamin B 12 levels, and resulted in decreased serum methylmalonic acid and homocysteine concentrations, and decreased pain intensity, memory loss, and impaired concentration. Among studies, there is much variation in vitamin B 12 doses, chemical forms, supplementation time, and administration routes. Larger randomized clinical trials of vitamin B 12 supplementation and analysis of markers such as total vitamin B 12 , holotranscobalamin, total homocysteine and methylmalonic acid, total folic acid, and, if possible, polymorphisms and methylation of genes need to be conducted with people with and without COVID-19 or who have had COVID-19 to facilitate the proper vitamin B 12 form to be administered in individual treatment.
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