It’s not too late to prepare for COVID-19

It is too easy for commentators to generalise old people as having weak immune systems and being consequently more prone to succumbing to the more profound viral infections we experience in the epidemics and pandemics like MERS, SARS, or COVID-19.

There is actually little evidence to back up such a banal assertion. In fact, it is difficult to find decent studies around the reasons that the immune system fails in older age, or for that matter in younger people (or anyone else) who seem to be more vulnerable to these overwhelming originations.

There isn’t a large range of factors we can attribute to having influence on these outcomes. We have the individual’s genomics, we have the individual’s ability to experience an epigenetic affect as part of the genomic expression, we have nutrition, and we have the environment.

Within these parameters that constitute the ability to exist, we can look at possible explanations for a better understanding of why the old, the very young, and the extra vulnerable are more susceptible to these pandemic events.

Individual variance within the fish, vegetable, and fruit intake – and those foods that provide a dense supply of micronutrients (many of which are cofactors for biological processes), can partway explain why different people react in different ways to different sources of infection.

The effective response requires the body to recognise a foreign invasive event. This is done through a cytokine signalling pathway that involves many steps. Each one of those steps requires gene (or multiple gene) activity. The variation within individuals’ genetic codes determines the outcome in response to that invasion. Some individuals have a less effective code and some individuals have a more effective code.

Unfortunately, a more effective code may lead to an overactive immune response, resulting in a cytokine storm that destroys one’s own tissues.

In a situation where nutritional deficiencies exist, runaway cytokine storms are far more likely. It is the destructive element of the cytokine storms that leads to the symptoms of severe airways distress syndrome that we see in some of the viral illnesses. The resulting meltdown of the cellular structures further leads to an inflammatory response and unfortunately further destruction.

We know that in cases of vitamin C deficiency, the end point for scurvy sufferers is haemorrhagic disease and overwhelming infection.

Amongst many other nutrients, vitamin D plays a significant part in the inflammatory response delivery.

In our current environment with many people working indoors, eating processed and chemically ripened and stored fruit and vegetables, the micronutrient and vitamin levels can be low – making vulnerable those individuals with less favourable genetic variants.

Currently New Zealanders have been recorded as showing a low level of vitamin D in 30% of the population and a very low level of vitamin D in 10% of the population.

Relative to Scandinavian countries, New Zealand has a low recommended daily allowance of vitamin C, and this RDA is based only on the prevention of scurvy – not necessarily what best health levels require.

It is essential that in preparing for this COVID-19 outbreak, individuals are advised to have sufficient intake of vitamin C and vitamin D. Sufficient intake does not prevent infection but may improve the effect of the cytokine response. Vitamin supplements may be helpful in getting these nutrients to a maximum quickly.

We know that the body’s use of vitamin C during an infection is drawn from body stores. In more profound infection the vitamin C levels can be drained – leaving the patient deficient.

Attention to such details is vital in navigating this threat.