COVID-19 is a serious infectious disease that doesn’t only affect the patient while it lasts but also long after the body has managed to combat it.
There are many cases where post-COVID symptoms (e.g., fatigue, shortness of breath, focus and memory issues, etc.) persist even after the recovery. This is known as long-haul COVID.
Intense COVID-related inflammation may trigger the beginning stages of anorexia, leading to decreased appetite and food intake. This may prolong recovery, worsen physical performance, and reduce patients’ quality of life.
Long hospital stays may also lead to malnutrition, substantially reduced muscle mass, reduced muscle strength, and overall deteriorated physical performance.
That’s why nutrition management may be paramount to improving the immune response and combating COVID-19 in all phases.
A recent study published in the journal Nutrients observed the effects of a multicomponent supplement on physical performance and muscle mass in recovered adult and senior coronavirus patients with post-COVID-related fatigue.
The treatment lasted for eight weeks, and the supplement consisted of:
- All nine essential amino acids
- Cysteine
- Vitamin B1
- Vitamin B6
- Malic acid
- Succinic acid
- Citric acid
After eight weeks, researchers found that the skeletal muscle index, physical performance, and quality of life significantly improved in the subjects who underwent supplementation with the aforementioned multicomponent supplement.
They also performed better on the handgrip strength test, the one-minute chair-stand test, and the six-minute walking test than the control group.
So, can this be the future of post-COVID treatment?
Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait some more to get the answer to this question, as more controlled clinical trials are necessary to confirm these results.
