A common symptom of COVID-19 is smell disturbance
There are 4 main description of smell disturbances:
- Hyposmia is the partial loss of smell
- Parosmia is a change or alteration in smell
- Anosmia is the total inability to smell
- Phantosmia is smelling something when no smell is actually present
Vitamins and COVID-19 smell changes: parosmia, hyposmia, anosmia
Vitamin B12 and general smell changes: parosmia, hyposmia, anosmia
In 1954, 65 years before COVID-19 was first discovered in Wuhan, China, researchers reported that vitamin B12 had a role in preventing and treating loss of smell (anosmia) in a publication in the journal Minerva Otorrinolaringologia. Then in 1987 researchers from the University of Greifswald (Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität) in Germany reported a case of complete loss of smell in conjunction with vitamin B12 deficiency following stomach surgery. Vitamin B12 supplements improved sense of smell. More recently in 2016, researchers from Mugla Sıtkı Kocman University in Turkey over 60% of people with low vitamin B12 levels had smell disturbances, whereas no person with a normal vitamin B12 level had smell or taste disturbance.
Although these early reports are interesting, they did not involve COVID-19...so what about vitamin B12 and taste in COVID-19???
Vitamin B12 and COVID-19 smell changes: parosmia, hyposmia, anosmia
Brazilian researchers from reported that 30 days of vitamin B12 supplementation with other B-vitamins and olfactory training led to complete recovery of sense of smell.
A very similar scientific publication from Kyrgyzstan reported that 30 days of vitamin B12 supplementation with other B-vitamins and olfactory training led to complete recovery of sense of smell.
Vitamin D3 and COVID-19 smell changes: parosmia, hyposmia, anosmia
A 2021 study provided vitamin D3 supplements to COVID-19 patients for 14 days. Higher dose vitamin D3 led to quicker recovery from cough...but also smell! This high quality research was from numerous institutions in Saudi Arabia including the Departments of Medicine, Biochemistry and Community Health Sciences at King Saud University, the Department of Medicine and Infectious Diseases at King Fahad Medical City and King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Hospital.
Additional food supplements and and COVID-19 smell changes: parosmia, hyposmia, anosmia
Curcuminoids and COVID-19 smell changes: parosmia, hyposmia, anosmia
A 2021 research study from medical researchers in Iran reported that 14 days of curcuminoid supplementation in COVID-19 patients led to significant improvements in cough, chills, muscle aches/pains but also smell disturbances. This high quality research was from the Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy, and the Departments of Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine all at Mashhad University of Medical Sciences in Iran as well as the Department of Pharmacology School of Medicine at the Tehran University of Medical Sciences in Iran.
A remarkable publication from the Tulane University School of Medicine reported that 2 months of supplementation with curcuminoids (turmeric extract) and piperine led to massive improvements in smell in COVID-19 subjects! In one case, there was complete restoration of smell almost immediately! In another case, a 28 year old male with asthma experienced complete restoration of smell with 10 days of supplementation.
