The increasing sale of multivitamins during the Covid-19 pandemic has given birth to a new controversy. Due to the pandemic, people concerned about their health and immunity have been popping more pills—even giving it to their children—but doctors and medical experts say that nobody should be taking multivitamins without a prescription because they can lead to various health problems.
Dr Padma Srivastava
Dr S. Chatterjee
Dr Ashish Khattar
Weighing on the matter, Dr Padma Srivastava, Professor and Senior Neurologist at AIIMS, Dr Ashish Khattar, General Physician at Venkateshwar Hospital, and Dr Suranjeet Chatterjee, Senior Consultant for Internal Medicine at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, spoke to The Sunday Guardian.
Q: Do you think multivitamins like vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc can protect from Covid-19 or is it a myth?
Dr Padma Srivastava: Vitamins and various combinations of supplements and nutraceuticals are available freely over the counter without prescription. This, coupled with the strong belief that the intake of these will boost immunity and protect against various ailments, including Covid-19, has possibly led to an indiscriminate intake of these agents and a boom in their sales. Unfortunately, the truth lies somewhere in between. Indiscriminate use can lead to drug interactions and toxicity, so it can’t be assumed to be totally innocuous. But we cannot say that these are not beneficial because they certainly are prescribed in certain medical conditions. People also believe that popping low-cost multivitamins is more affordable than eating costly fruits or veggies! But popping a pill will not be a panacea for all evils or for living healthy ever after. We need to have a balance. And we should not be consuming these without medical advice.
Dr Ashish Khattar: It is not that vitamins or other supplements are disease-specific or anti-Covid. It has been found in research that they help in boosting and maintaining immunity and that having them is good for health, to an extent. But eating vitamins for too long or a mixture of these vitamins, without a prescription, is harmful for our health. Covid-19 is not anti-vitamin or anti-zinc, it is a viral disease. Vitamins only work in a specific way. A few are good for respiratory epithelium, few others are good for mucosal lining and a few are good for bones but they don’t cure Covid. There are countless patients who have been on vitamins and supplements for months and still caught Covid eventually. The vitamins must have protected them for a certain period of time if they had been exposed to a good amount of viral inoculum. But again, I would say that vitamins are not anti-Covid. You must take them with a prescription from a doctor and for a short time as they have their toxins.
Dr S. Chatterjee: They have to be taken under some supervision or guidance. You cannot take them for long periods as they have their own side effects. They may interact with several other medications you might be taking and slow down their effects. They have some beneficial effects like immunity boosting. It’s being believed that zinc and vitamins prevent Covid but that is not true—they just help with immunity. Supplements cause side effects and should be taken with medical advice only.
Q: Have you come across patients who had been taking supplements for a long time and suffered from side effects?
Dr S. Chatterjee: There were relevant studies in the Western world which said that a low vitamin D level was associated with severe symptoms of Covid, so it can be said that vitamin D is an essential supplement. So people were suggested to have it. But somehow many of them did not follow up with their medical advisor and what had been prescribed and took it for months together. They came out with toxically high levels of vitamin D. Supplements like vitamin D have to be taken in specific amounts for a specific duration.
Q: Children also seem to be taking such supplements. Do you think they can suffer serious side effects as a result?
Dr Ashish Khattar: Every child knows the brand name of the common vitamins. Although Covid does not affect children to a huge extent, some symptoms like the common cold might appear. But I would still suggest that vitamins should not be taken loosely without any guidance. Children can pick up a habit of taking such pills from their environment, but if you see such a child, you can guide them to a general physician. Nobody should be popping pills on the advice of colleagues, family members or friends without a medical prescription.
Q: Indians bought over 500 crore multivitamin pills to fight Covid-19. Data says that the sale of Zincovit increased by 93% and vitamin C pills by 110%. Do you think stopping over-the-counter sales of such pills will help in this situation?
Dr S. Chatterjee: Vitamins and other medications are sold over the counter all around the world and stopping their sale is impossible because a few ailments require such medications. But their use has to be regulated. People need to understand that crossing the limit for having these medications may cause side effects. Even having a safe supplement can prove to be harmful. They can interact with other medicines and cause side effects in the lining of the body. Thus, you need to be careful when taking these medications for a long time.
Q: Social media videos say that vitamin D works as a hormonal medicine and protects people from Covid-19. What would you say about that?
Dr Ashish Khattar: There have been studies which show that low vitamin D levels are associated with severe Covid symptoms because South-east Asian countries saw a more severe form of the disease while the UK and the US were seeing the initial phases of the infection. But it doesn’t mean that you should take vitamin D for months at a time. So, an optimal use of multivitamins can be helpful but the unguided use of supplements for a year or so can be harmful.
Q: What would be your message for the masses following this myth of vitamin D supplements?
Dr S. Chatterjee: Supplements can help you in fighting with Covid but you have to follow the precautions that we have been preaching for the last one year and are being taught by the media constantly. Maintain social distancing, wash hands frequently as the virus will remain for the next couple of months. Even if you are vaccinated, you need to wear masks because although you may not get infected, avoiding masks might make you infect others. All these precautions have to continue for the next couple of months.
Dr Ashish Khattar: We have to achieve herd immunity and maybe a year after that we will need to vaccinate ourselves again. The Covid era has not ended. Although the cases have declined, we can see other global waves around the world due to other strains of the virus. So do not avoid taking precautions, listen to the experts’ guidance and don’t let your guards down. Please don’t land up believing in any kind of myth. Take precautions for yourself and your family, eat nutritious foods, and follow a healthy daily routine. Otherwise, we might be in trouble again.
