Introduction
- Vitamin B12 is a water soluble vitamin which can be stored in the liver
- Vitamin B12 contains the mineral cobalt and therefore compounds with vitamin B12 activity are collectively called 'cobalamins'.
- Vitamin B12 has many important roles, including energy production, and healthy functioning of the nervous system and immune system
- Humans can't make vitamin B12 and neither can animals. Vitamin B12 is made by micro-organisms!
- The major source of vitamin B12 is animal foods such as meats, eggs, dairy
- The best source of vitamin B12 is
- At Phytaphix we use derived from Irish mushroom
Summary
COVID-19 and vitamin B12: Reviews
A 2020 study in the academic journal Life Sciences screened a large amount of FDA approved drugs and other substances for activity against COVID-19 proteins. The researchers found that vitamin B12 was one of the strongest agents against COVID-19 proteins!
COVID-19 and vitamin B12: Lab studies
COVID-19 and vitamin B12: Human studies
But we always want to look for human studies.
Some studies have shown that vitamin B12 supplementation improved both smell and taste:
A 2020 paper in the academic Journal of NeuroVirology reported 3 individuals with COVID-19 with olfactory dysfunction, two of which were accompanied by taste disorders
- Case 1 - an 18 year female with COVID-19 and complete anosmia. Oral vitamin B12 tablets were prescribed and smell improved in 10 days
- Case 2 - a 26 year old female with COVID-19 with sudden loss of sense of smell and taste. Oral vitamin B12 tablets were prescribed and smell improved in 2 days and returned to normal in 10 days
- Case 3 - a 28 year old male with COVID-19 who completely lost the sense of smell and taste. Oral vitamin B12 tablets were prescribed and smell returned to normal in 10 days.
A 2020 report published in the academic journal Medicine, detailed the case of a 29 year old male with no medical history who was diagnosed with COVID. He experience a sore throat, fever, headache, and sore muscles. These symptoms were gone after as few days however he experience complete anosmia. One week after the initial symptoms of sore throat, fever, headache, and sore muscles were gone, this person started smell training and vitamin B12 supplementation (+ other B vitamins). 2 weeks later, the patient reported complete recuperation of his sense of smell.
A 2021 report published in the academic journal, Clinical Case Reports, detailed the case of a 19 year old male who was diagnosed with COVID-19 and complete anosmia. He was prescribed smell training and vitamin B12 supplementation (+ other B vitamins). He recovered from anosmia after 40 days.
As of writing (January 2022), there is one single study which provided vitamin B!2 supplements to patients with COVID-19.
This study provided vitamin B12 in combination with vitamin D3 and magnesium.
2020 human intervention study reported that vitamin B12 + vitamin D3 + magnesium decreased COVID-19 severity, including:
Reduced oxygen therapy and reduced ICU support
In addition to vitamin B12, other supplements and nutraceuticals for COVID-19 include:
The best evidence we have suggests that regarding COVID-19 infection, earlier supplementation is better!
*Full references list and full text manuscripts available upon request
Written by our founder, Dr. Conor Kerley
Copyright of Phytaphix
