Dietary supplementation is considered for prevention and/or treatment of COVID-19. Present review was conducted to understand the role of vitamins in COVID-19.Review articles, in English language, published within past one year, were considered in this report.Electronic databases were searched, till 30th June 2020. Of initially identified 90 publications, 13 review articles were selected for present qualitative synthesis. Out of the five vitamins considered here, vitamin D followed by vitamin C was most researched upon. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased susceptibility to respiratory infections including occurrence and poor outcome of COVID-19, which is likely to depend on prior vitamin D status of the individual. Most authors have recommended vitamin D supplementation especially in vitamin D deficient and high risk individuals, in daily or weekly regimen, with higher doses for vulnerable individuals. Some authors have opined that supplementation with vitamin C provides protection against respiratory infections and can even reduce duration, severity and impact of the disease, but it is not known whether a supplemental dose of vitamin C administered to patients without their deficiency would result in a benefit. Very few articles were available on other vitamins. While Vitamin A supplement may be of a small benefit and hence has been recommended,vitamin E supplementation has been noted to be harmful for both prevention and treatment. Evidence is lacking for all the vitamins under review here and hence impact of supplementation of vitamins is still unclear. Importance of maintaining optimal nutrient status to strengthen the immune system to ward off any disease cannot be over-ruled. However, nutrient supplement may also be a potential alternative for prevention and/or treatment of the disease, especially vitamin D in high risk individuals. Further intervention research is required to establish or refute the possibly effective role of vitamins in prevention/treatment of COVID-19.
Keywords: COVID-19; Vitamins; ABCDE; Nutrient supplement.