RESEARCHERS: Where is the Zinc Going, and Undermethylation
How is coronavirus manipulating the body to get rid of zinc? It has to be going somewhere.
Here's one possibility: not just from the known lung problems of Covid-19, but shortness of breath and chest pain are iron deficiency symptoms. The link between iron and zinc is copper. Zinc is required to get rid of extra copper, and either low levels of copper or high levels of copper can cause iron homeostasis problems in the body, because it is needed by chemicals used to transport iron correctly. Too little, and there is too little bound iron, and the rest, as free iron, is as likely to do damage, or be removed. Too much, and possibly it is being overused. A 1946 document described iron deficiency with hypercupremiar during illness - which makes sense since zinc is a copper antagonists. CITE
When zinc is being prioritized to the immune system away from other duties, copper would tend to build up. While chronic levels of increased copper correlate to Alzheimer's, and excess free radical copper correlates with diabetic nerve damage, in the short term, allowing an excess of copper for the time required to recover from illness is not a significant problem for the body. After recovery, the body can return the copper levels to normal before any real or irreversable damage could occur, making this an excellent strategy for a body needing available zinc.
Cite
While unlikely, the question of where the zinc is going, if no better answer presents itself, might be by an anti-nutrient being created by the coronavirus.
One example of such an anti-nutrient is the copper(II)-omeprazole complex, or Cu2(OM). In sufficient quantity, it can cause copper homeostasis issues in the body, which go along with chronic zinc loss and iron deficiency, shown in the fingernails, either in dips along the finger or toe nails, or if chronic, in dipped ends of the nails.
This references Voltammetric determination of copper with proton pump inhibitor drug omeprazole
(M. A. Ghandour, A. Hassan & H. M. Ali in the Journal of Analytical Chemistry
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S1061934815030065 )
In the abstract, experimentation showed that "the reduction of the copper(II)-omeprazole complex is irreversible." Unfortunately, being scientists and not medical doctors, they did not think about ramifications of long term use (especially with birth control drugs, copper IUDs, copper overload or Wilson's disease), or use during high copper exposure (such as pesticide) in the human body. They were just trying to find a way to measure the amount of copper in water.
The seemingly perceived but unusable copper in the complex causes copper homeostasis issues as the body attempts to "tack against the wind," by going too high and then too low, causing intermittent iron and zinc deficiencies with each swing. Symptoms other than chest pain and shortness of breath include hissing in the ears, tingling, irritability, weakness, trouble concentrating, and joint pain, which could relate to untransportable iron leaking or being dumped into the joints, as has been described with certain types of arthritis.
Cite from download
There is an off-chance that coronavirus convinces the body to waste zinc by removing copper. That would be the one circumstance where the copper would be low, and a simple blood test with coronavirus sufferers will answer whether the copper is high, as expected, or low, from this unlikely circumstance. While too low weakens the immune system, supplementation could cost the body more zinc if this is the case, and would require very careful handling. Luckily, this is unlikely.
The World Health Organization, in the document Nutrition advice for adults during the COVID-19 outbreak, at http://www.emro.who.int/nutrition/nutrition-infocus/nutrition-advice-for-adults-during-the-covid-19-outbreak.html#:~:text=You%20should%20eat%20a%20variety,%2C%20fat%20or%20salt. suggests a coronavirus diet consisting of red meat once or twice a week, and poultry two to three times a week, and includes, for snacks, raw fresh vegetables. While excellent advice to prepare the body for being sick, during coronavirus this should probably be modified, to reduce the folic acid from vegetables, increase zinc with more meat and more red meat, and it should include a warning against spices, chocolate, seafood, and other foods which are high in copper and folic acid.
Since aluminum is another zinc antagonists, avoiding foods which are wrapped in aluminum for the duration might also be wise.
-
-
As mentioned above, if copper levels are found to be particularly high in people suffering badly from coronavirus, then the medications used for Wilson's disease to deplete it could be a significant benefit, allowing zinc to be prioritized back to the immune system. (Wilson's disease stores copper in the body because the chemical which transportes copper out of the body under normal circumstances, ATP7B, isn't functioning correctly.)
If the levels are normal, but there is more free radical copper and little bound, transportable, and usable copper, then this strategy might still be beneficial if used extremely sparingly. The immune system does require copper, but it requires copper in a usable form. People with diabetes type 2 have a problem with the ATP7A molecule being able to hold on to copper correctly. This has been suggested to explain the correlation between Diabetes Type 2 and Alzheimer's; it might relate to a higher coronavirus mortality, as well. If so, this technique could be useful. If there isn't a higher mortality, then this technique would not have any benefit, and could be detrimental.
In summation, dietary changes, to avoid zinc antagonists, and folic acid which deflects zinc to other uses, and to treat undermethylation, as well as giving more regular doses of zinc and sustained release zinc where available to treat patients with undermethylation, and to find out where is the zinc is going are strategies which can be taken now, to improve outcomes and save lives.
©Deborah Barges July 2020 open access
Here's one possibility: not just from the known lung problems of Covid-19, but shortness of breath and chest pain are iron deficiency symptoms. The link between iron and zinc is copper. Zinc is required to get rid of extra copper, and either low levels of copper or high levels of copper can cause iron homeostasis problems in the body, because it is needed by chemicals used to transport iron correctly. Too little, and there is too little bound iron, and the rest, as free iron, is as likely to do damage, or be removed. Too much, and possibly it is being overused. A 1946 document described iron deficiency with hypercupremiar during illness - which makes sense since zinc is a copper antagonists. CITE
When zinc is being prioritized to the immune system away from other duties, copper would tend to build up. While chronic levels of increased copper correlate to Alzheimer's, and excess free radical copper correlates with diabetic nerve damage, in the short term, allowing an excess of copper for the time required to recover from illness is not a significant problem for the body. After recovery, the body can return the copper levels to normal before any real or irreversable damage could occur, making this an excellent strategy for a body needing available zinc.
Cite
One example of such an anti-nutrient is the copper(II)-omeprazole complex, or Cu2(OM). In sufficient quantity, it can cause copper homeostasis issues in the body, which go along with chronic zinc loss and iron deficiency, shown in the fingernails, either in dips along the finger or toe nails, or if chronic, in dipped ends of the nails.
This references Voltammetric determination of copper with proton pump inhibitor drug omeprazole
(M. A. Ghandour, A. Hassan & H. M. Ali in the Journal of Analytical Chemistry
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S1061934815030065 )
In the abstract, experimentation showed that "the reduction of the copper(II)-omeprazole complex is irreversible." Unfortunately, being scientists and not medical doctors, they did not think about ramifications of long term use (especially with birth control drugs, copper IUDs, copper overload or Wilson's disease), or use during high copper exposure (such as pesticide) in the human body. They were just trying to find a way to measure the amount of copper in water.
The seemingly perceived but unusable copper in the complex causes copper homeostasis issues as the body attempts to "tack against the wind," by going too high and then too low, causing intermittent iron and zinc deficiencies with each swing. Symptoms other than chest pain and shortness of breath include hissing in the ears, tingling, irritability, weakness, trouble concentrating, and joint pain, which could relate to untransportable iron leaking or being dumped into the joints, as has been described with certain types of arthritis.
Cite from download
Whatever coronavirus is doing, it is using up zinc, which traditionally in illness leaves extra copper. High copper levels, as well as low copper levels, induce iron deficiency, and therefore is the likeliest the cause of covid-19 shortness of breath and chest pain.
There is an off-chance that coronavirus convinces the body to waste zinc by removing copper. That would be the one circumstance where the copper would be low, and a simple blood test with coronavirus sufferers will answer whether the copper is high, as expected, or low, from this unlikely circumstance. While too low weakens the immune system, supplementation could cost the body more zinc if this is the case, and would require very careful handling. Luckily, this is unlikely.
If the copper is high, treatment could include reducing copper using Wilson's disease medications. Testing would be required to keep copper levels going to low, because copper is required by the body and the immune system. However, just a small Improvement should be sufficiently beneficial.
---
Undermethylation and Diet
Mentioned above, another concern with coronavirus, and many other conditions, is undermethylation. Undermethylation means that the genes are unable to be read as quickly or correctly, the latter being implicated with cancer, and the former being an issue if zinc is being given only one or two times a day.
Because the body of someone who undermethylates cannot react to changes in its internal environment has quickly, giving someone too much zinc a would cause them to first adjust to getting rid of zinc, when a big dose comes in, because there is no zinc storage in the body, and then have to adjust to stop getting rid of zinc as the dose finishes absorbing.
At the point where the dose has been absorbed but the body is still getting rid of zinc which is no longer extra, while the cells try to read their DNA to adjust to the change, the immune system will experience a drop in zinc.
This is the point where coronavirus, and any opportunistic organism, will be able to get a foothold. This could happen between every dose of zinc until epigenes are built at that part of the DNA. For some people, that might not be soon enough. The answer is to have a continuous and unvarying level of zinc being absorbed into the body, or as close to that as possible.
While there is sustained release zinc, it is rare, and around $20 for 90 pills in the only form I have found so far. Another choice is beef, and possibly in areas where it is available, meat like reindeer or buffalo. Such meats are high in zinc and iron, low in copper (no organ meats.) Allowing some fat or oil in the meat will cause slower absorption, beneficial for people who undermethylate.
Citations are currently on the other RESEARCHERS page.
In areas where people have traditionally relied heavily on meat in their, such as the Netherlands, the ratio of men to women dying from coronavirus is higher. In India, and regions where people are traditionally vegetarian, where red meat is minimally available, or where cows are sacred, the ratio is closer. In India, it is slightly reversed, and the reported death rate is lower, because their bodies have adapted to lower levels of zinc.
Therefore if a person is used to eating beef, their bodies are used to more zinc, and increasing beef in their diet would be beneficial. When a patient is comfortable eating red meat, their diet while fighting off coronavirus should be focused on it, and on reducing zinc antagonists, the most common in the diet being copper.
For some people folic acid in high doses or when zinc is deficient (possibly primarily with undermethylators) can deflect the zinc into being used together with folic acid in such things as the sense of smell. Reducing folic acid, allowing the sense of smell to disfunction for the duration, so that the zinc can be prioritized to the immune system, is a strategy that is working on people for whom this happens naturally. It can be encouraged by reducing folic acid in the diet.
Since aluminum is another zinc antagonists, avoiding foods which are wrapped in aluminum for the duration might also be wise.
-
Taking multivitamins is not in (at least) the Coronavirus Virginia protocols. If they were tested, this is why they were not beneficial: folic acid and possibly copper, depending on which type of multivitamin, since each one is formulated with a different balance of nutrients.
The bodies of people who take multivitamins on a regular basis are liable to suffer more from the lack. Their bodies are adapted to it. Those vitamins which are specifically supportive against stress should be supplied. Unfortunately that means supplying them separately since there is a lack of multivitamins which do not contain folic acid. B6 is required for methylation; vitamin D deficiency will happen from being indoors in the hospital, if it is not already existing in due to shelter in place. These and other which do not impact zinc should be replenished.
Simply knowing that one has coronavirus is stressful, separate from the stress of illness on the body. Unfortunately, one size does not fit all. If one knows that a patient has not been taking multivitamins, then they might have a deficiency. If one knows that a patient is taking multivitamins regularly, then their body is used to having them, and may suffer from the lack. This needs more study, but there should be a handful of nutrients at least which can be replenished to benefit coronavirus patients which can be considered safe.
-
As mentioned above, if copper levels are found to be particularly high in people suffering badly from coronavirus, then the medications used for Wilson's disease to deplete it could be a significant benefit, allowing zinc to be prioritized back to the immune system. (Wilson's disease stores copper in the body because the chemical which transportes copper out of the body under normal circumstances, ATP7B, isn't functioning correctly.)
If the levels are normal, but there is more free radical copper and little bound, transportable, and usable copper, then this strategy might still be beneficial if used extremely sparingly. The immune system does require copper, but it requires copper in a usable form. People with diabetes type 2 have a problem with the ATP7A molecule being able to hold on to copper correctly. This has been suggested to explain the correlation between Diabetes Type 2 and Alzheimer's; it might relate to a higher coronavirus mortality, as well. If so, this technique could be useful. If there isn't a higher mortality, then this technique would not have any benefit, and could be detrimental.
These demographics and lab tests can be done by people who have access to them and to coronavirus sufferers' blood, respectively.
-
There is an Alzheimer's diet that is low in Copper that has been published. That could be the basis of a coronavirus diet.
-
Increasing antioxidants is always a benefit if the specific antioxidant does not interfere with other systems, with zinc being prioritized to the immune system in the case of coronavirus. They are not specific treatments; they simply support and protect the body in a general way. They keep nutrients from being depleted by preventing free radical damage, and protect the brain and nerves from neurotoxins. Since glutamate is a neurotoxin required in the body, to the tune of around 4 lb per person, extra antioxidants can be beneficial simply because they are being depleted by emotional as well as physical stress and allowing damage to happen from the excitory neurotransmitters required for the body to function, yet which are damaging to the body without antioxidants to protect it from them.
The amount in which social interaction reduce the stress suggest that animal therapy, when feasible, would be another way to support coronavirus victims. With the overload on the hospitals, allowing and even encouraging patients to bring something small with them that they can look at, such as a picture of their family and friends smiling, is probably the most that can be done on this line under current circumstances. Feng shui in the hospital is probably right out.
There are liquid formulas with B vitamins with B2, niacin, B6, B12, and pantothenic acid, both in drink and in flavored water enhansers in tiny squirt bottles. They might be tested, since the common forms available generally contain no B9 (folic acid.) As much as chocolate has antioxidants, it also has copper. Seafood is likewise higher in copper. Despite the fact that oysters are high in zinc, they're also high in copper . . . not that any hospitals have the budget for oysters, but seafood and chocolate (such as in puddings) should be avoided.
There is an Alzheimer's diet that is low in Copper that has been published. That could be the basis of a coronavirus diet.
Citation (Italy)
Although not much of a concern for the most part, lead, cadmium, aluminum, and mercury (which latter is in very trace doses in some red dyes and in high fructose corn syrup) are zinc antagonists, and should be avoided.
Because some people have adapted to less zinc and others to more zinc, the latter are more wasteful of it epigenetically. Therefore, the amount of zinc required will not be the same, one person to the next. And because of undermethylation, some people will require zinc more often give lower doses. One-size-fits-all dosing is not going to be the best for everyone. Finding out who eats meat and who is vegetarian should be fairly simple, but finding out who undermethylates is more difficult.
Since undermethylation is a significant issue with cancer, so that treating undermethylation has proven beneficial during cancer treatment, it might be wise to diagnose out who undermethylates more broadly in the future. Treating undermethylation, or the root cause of a patient's undermethylation, in advance of cancer and other illnesses, could be a huge benefit eventually in preventative medicine.
For now, smaller regular doses of zinc, sustained release zinc, and red meat, particularly beef to avoid the vitamin K in pork (vitamin K encourages clotting and the risk of stroke from coronavirus), along with reducing foods which contain copper (such as spices, fish and chocolate), and reducing folic acid to keep zinc prioritized to the immune system, could be considered tweaks on the diet of coronavirus sufferers which could improve outcomes.
Although not much of a concern for the most part, lead, cadmium, aluminum, and mercury (which latter is in very trace doses in some red dyes and in high fructose corn syrup) are zinc antagonists, and should be avoided.
Of more concern is that lithium is a zinc antagonists as well as being a medication for mental illness. However, if a patient is exhausted enough, they will probably not be able to have a manic attack. If it is found that people who take lithium are having a higher mortality from coronavirus, they could be removed from the medication until they are sufficiently recovered from coronavirus.
Only when their mania or anxiety is interfering with their convalescence, or before if they are free of the virus, would it be necessary to put them back on lithium. However, because lithium does have a beneficial effect on the brain, there is a slight chance that it has a beneficial effect with coronavirus as well. In that case, it should not be withdrawn from patients who are taking it. If it in fact shows a beneficial effect, then using it in the doses recently suggested for people with Alzheimer's might be beneficial for supporting patients with coronavirus.
Which one is the case can be determined by comparing the depth of illness and mortality rates of people taking Lithium to people not taking Lithium with the same comorbidities and in the same demographics, including the Walsh Institute demographics separating people with pyrrole syndrome, copper overload, undermethylation, over methylation, particularly versus people who have the MTHFR gene, a low folic acid condition, because these can affect zinc levels.
B6 is beneficial for people with undermethylation. If it is not found detrimental generally against coronavirus, it could be beneficial to help the bodies of people with undermethylation to deal with changing levels of zinc in the body without lagging and allowing the levels of zinc to run from too high to too low. There is a list of nutrients required for methylation, but it is my experience, in my personal case only so far, that using gelatin or gristle in meat along with B6 allows my body to improve methylation. This may be because I was given gelatin as a child to strengthen my fingernails, and my body adapted to use it as a methyl donor, possibly via supply by displacement. This therefore may not work for others, but is another potential tweak which, as a minimum, is likely to not be detrimental to most patients, and those to whom it could be detrimental would know it; it would be listed as an allergy to gelatin or jello.
In summation, dietary changes, to avoid zinc antagonists, and folic acid which deflects zinc to other uses, and to treat undermethylation, as well as giving more regular doses of zinc and sustained release zinc where available to treat patients with undermethylation, and to find out where is the zinc is going are strategies which can be taken now, to improve outcomes and save lives.
©Deborah Barges July 2020 open access
