New research looks at effectiveness of Zinc, Vitamin C in fighting off COVID-19

Sorry to break it to you, but Zinc and Vitamin C aren't going to cure you of COVID-19.

With any sickness, somebody is sure to tell you that supplements like Zinc and Vitamin C are just the thing you need to kick that crud to the curb and get back to good health.

But new, quality research shows those supplements have no significant impact in reducing severity or duration of COVID-19.

"In this randomized control trial, which is the purest form of science out there, what we were able to show that Zinc, or Vitamin C, or the combination of the two, did not reduce disease severity in outpatients that are affected by COVID-19," Cleveland Clinic's Dr. Milind Desai said.

Medical history has example after example of quick, simple, easy, tricks that people have tried or sold or even vowed did the trick to keep them healthy. They span the gamut from the dangerous--like mercury--to the harmless but useless--like garlic.

These type of supplements are often called cure-alls, because they're advertised as a way to improve your health and protect you from pretty much any sickness.

Zinc and Vitamin C are not bad for you, they just have not been proven to make you better either. If you want to take some Zinc and Vitamin C, go for it. Just please don't assume they're going to keep you from getting sick.

Zinc and Vitamin C are used by your body's immune system. Zinc has even been shown to shorten the length of the common cold. So it's logical to think that taking more of them will make your immune system better and help you fight off illnesses. However, scientific double-blind randomized trials with control groups have never shown that to be true.