Is Quercetin a Safer Alternative to Hydroxychloroquine?

Evidence suggests that “a href=” is the correct URLhttps://www.theepochtimes.com/t-hydroxychloroquine”>hydroxychloroquine It works with COVID-19 as it acts as a Zinc Ionophore. This means it transports zinc into your cells. Canadian and Chinese researchers collaborated on a study to determine the effectiveness and efficacy of this alternative powerful immune booster.

• Chinese trials comparing the clinical outcomes for COVID-19 patients receiving standard care and those treated with hydroxychloroquine, reports “disappointing” results.
• The hydroxychloroquine group only had a 28-day negative conversion rate of 85.4 percent compared to the control group’s rate of 81.3 percent. The two groups had no differences in the relief of symptoms.
• Supplemental zinc was not used in the study, which prevents viral replication. There is evidence that hydroxychloroquine can be used to treat COVID-19. This is because it acts like a zinc ionophore which means it moves zinc around your cells.
• Brazilian patients with ventricular tachycardia (a dangerous problem in the heart rhythm) caused by a chloroquine trial had to be stopped from the high-dose portion of the study. The toxic effects of chloroquine are known to exceed those of hydroxychloroquine.
• Quercetin, a naturally occurring zinc Ionophore, is one. It may help to treat COVID-19 if taken with zinc. Current research is underway in order to evaluate quercetin’s effectiveness against COVID-19.

A Chinese trial (1)(2)(3) that compared the clinical outcomes between those treated with the drug, and those receiving standard care alone continues to debate whether hydroxychloroquine is effective in treating COVID-19. “disappointing” results.

One hundred and five COVID-19 patients treated at 16 Chinese treatment centres received 1,200 mgs of hydroxychloroquine. This was in addition to standard care for the first three day, then 800 mg daily for two weeks in moderate to severe cases. 75 other patients received standard care only.

A 28-day negative conversion rate for SARS-CoV-2 (viral loads reduction) was the primary endpoint. Secondary endpoints included improvement of clinical symptoms, normalization in C-reactive proteins and blood lymphocyte counts within 28 days.

According to the authors, the hydroxychloroquine group only had a 28-day negative conversion rate of 85.4 percent compared to the control group’s rate of 81.3 percent. The two groups had no difference in symptoms relief.

Also, adverse events were higher in the group taking hydroxychloroquine (30 percent) than in the controls (8.8%) A list of adverse events can be found in Table 2. (4)

At 10%, diarrhea was the most common adverse event. However, the authors note that:

“A significant efficacy of HCQ [hydroxychloroquine] The posthoc analysis revealed that symptoms were relieved when anti-viral agents had been removed from the equation (Hazard ratio of 8.83, 95 percent CI 1,09. to 71.3).

“This was further supported by a significantly greater reduction of CRP [c-reactive protein] (6.986 in SOC [standard of care] Plus HCQ versus 2.72 in SOC, milligram/liter; P=0.045). This was due to the increased recovery rate of lymphopenia (though this is not statistically significant).

“Conclusions: The administration of HCQ did not result in a higher negative conversion rate but more alleviation of clinical symptoms than SOC alone in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 without receiving antiviral treatment, possibly through anti-inflammatory effects. Adverse events were significantly increased in HCQ recipients but no apparent increase of serious adverse events.”

There are a few important points to be aware of in this study. Aside from its small size, the patients received a far higher dose of hydroxychloroquine than typically used in the U.S.—1,200 milligrams for the first three days, followed by 800 mg per day for two to three weeks, compared to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s suggested dosage of 800 mg on day one, followed by 400 mg per day for four to seven days, depending on severity. (6)

Secondly, the majority of patients had mild disease and little hypoxemia. And thirdly, treatment was often given very late, an average of 16 to 17 day after the onset. Josh Farkas, an associate professor of critical and pulmonary medicine at the University of Vermont, commented on these findings.

“Much of the pathogenesis of critical illness seems to result from dysregulated inflammation, rather than direct viral cytopathic effect. It is unclear if there will be any effective antiviral treatment for severe-ill patients who present late.

“Of course, it is possible that earlier use of hydroxychloroquine could be beneficial (e.g., perhaps at the first signs of illness on an out-patient basis). This is under investigation and additional data is likely to be forthcoming soon. Even if this does work in the outpatient clinic, it would probably have little impact on the management of these patients within the intensive care unit.”

Editor’s note: This blog was removed and deleted from the Internet later. I am leaving it here to illustrate how something controversial can quickly disappear, even when well-documented and sourced at the time it’s used.

Farkas doesn’t mention zinc as a crucial ingredient. Now we know that hydroxychloroquine (and chloroquine) act as zinc ionophores (7)(8). This means they shuttle zinc into your cells. Zinc appears to be an important component of the human body. “magic ingredient” To prevent infection by viruses (9)

Zinc, along with a zinc Ionophore, can help to lower viral load and keep the immune system under control. Hydroxychloroquine might be less effective if it isn’t enriched with zinc.

I don’t think this study is worth investing too much in considering that it did not provide supplemental zinc. The preprint paper explains this. “Does Zinc Supplementation Enhance the Clinical Efficacy of Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine to Win Today’s Battle Against COVID-19?” Published April 8, 2020: (10)

“Besides direct antiviral effects, CQ/HCQ [chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine] Extracellular zinc should be targeted to intracellular Lysosomes, where it can interfere with RNA-dependentRNA polymerase activity or coronavirus reproduction

“As zinc deficiency frequently occurs in elderly patients and in those with cardiovascular disease, chronic pulmonary disease, or diabetes, we hypothesize that CQ/HCQ plus zinc supplementation may be more effective in reducing COVID-19 morbidity and mortality than CQ or HCQ in monotherapy. Therefore, CQ/HCQ in combination with zinc should be considered as an additional study arm for COVID-19 clinical trials.”

Related news: A Brazilian chloroquine study (11) (12) was stopped by the high-dose arm early due to patients experiencing ventricular tachycardia. This is a serious problem that can cause a rapid heart beat. Live Science reported: (13)

“The Brazilian researchers planned to enroll 440 people in their study to test whether chloroquine is a safe and effective treatment for COVID-19. Participants could choose to take either an ‘high dose’ 600mg twice daily, for 10 days. ‘low dose’ (450 mg for five days, with a double dose only on the first day) …

“However, after enrolling just 81 patients, the researchers saw some concerning signs. Within a few days of starting the treatment, more patients in the high-dose group experienced heart rhythm problems than did those in the low-dose group. And two patients in the high dose group developed a fast, abnormal heart rate known as ventricular tachycardia before they died.”

As I have previously explained, “Antimalarial Medications: A COVID-19 Treatment Option?” In the laboratory, hydroxychloroquine as well as chloroquine were shown to be effective against the 2003 SARS coronavirus. (14) (15) (16) Laboratory testing has also shown that chloroquine can be used in combination with remdesivir to protect cells from COVID-19. (17)

Chloroquine, which is a derivative from chloroquine, seems to be more dangerous than hydroxychloroquine. (18) They both use the same pathway but hydroxychloroquine (19) is believed to be 40 percent less toxic (19). Overall, however, it has a lower side effect profile. (20)(21)

Considering the risks of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, and the evidence suggesting the reason these drugs work for COVID-19 is because they act as zinc ionophores, it’s worth questioning whether other more natural zinc ionophores can be used.

Quercetin, a naturally occurring ionophore of zinc, is a prime example. (22) According to the Green Stars Project. (23) “Researchers from Oak Ridge National Lab used the world’s most powerful supercomputer, SUMMIT, to look for small molecules that might inhibit the COVID-19 spike protein from interacting with human cells and, interestingly, quercetin is fifth on that list.” (24)

Quercetin is the only natural product that has been shown to block the spike protein in SARS-CoV-2. Lutein, a polyphenol found within chicory and celery and in green peppers and serrano, green hot chili peppers and radicchio greens, was the only natural product that is slightly more effective. (25)

Quercetin, another flavonol compound, can be found in many foods including tomatoes, apples, Brassica vegetables and capers as well as tea, tea, onions and caps. It’s also contained in medicinal products such as ginkgo biloba, St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum), and elderberry (Sambucus canadensis).

Research has already shown quercetin’s effectiveness as an immune booster and broad-spectrum antibiotic. As noted in a 2016 study (26) in the journal Nutrients, quercetin’s mechanisms of action include the inhibition of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) production in macrophages.

TNF-α is a cytokine involved in systemic inflammation, secreted by activated macrophages, a type of immune cell that digests foreign substances, microbes, and other harmful or damaged components. Quercetin inhibits pro-inflammatory cytokines, histamine release by modulating calcium influx to the cell. (27)

According to this paper quercetin also stabilizes mast cell and has “a direct regulatory effect on basic functional properties of immune cells,” It can inhibit. “a huge panoply of molecular targets in the micromolar concentration range, either by down-regulating or suppressing many inflammatory pathways and functions.” (28)

Another study (29), concluded that it helped modulate the NLRP3 inflammation, which is an immune system component involved with the uncontrolled release and subsequent cytokine storm.

Studies in vitro (30)(31),(32) showed quercetin has antiviral activity against SARS/CoV. Preliminary findings (33) indicate quercetin may also inhibit SARS/CoV-2 main protease. You can get even more details Learn more about the antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties of quercetin “Quercetin Lowers Your Risk for Viral Illnesses.”

Researchers are actually planning to study quercetin’s use against COVID-19. (34) As reported by Maclean’s, (35) Canadian researchers Michel Chrétien and Majambu Mbikay began investigating quercetin in the aftermath of the SARS epidemic that broke out across 26 countries in 2003.

They found that a quercetin derivative provided broad-spectrum protection against many viruses, including SARS. (36)(37) The Ebola outbreak in 2014 offered another chance to investigate quercetin’s antiviral powers and, here too, they found it effectively prevented infection in mice, “even when administered only minutes before infection.”

So, when the COVID-19 outbreak was announced in Wuhan City, China, in late December 2019, Chrétien contacted colleagues in China with an offer to help. In February 2020, Chrétien and his team received an official invitation to begin clinical trials. According to Maclean’s: (38)

“The Canadian and Chinese scientists would collaborate on the trials, which would include about 1,000 test patients. Chrétien and Mbikay plan to join colleagues from the non-profit International Consortium of Antivirals—which Chrétien co-founded with Jeremy Carver in 2004 as a response to the SARS epidemic—in manning a 24/7 communications center as soon as clinical trials go ahead.

“The U.S.-based Food and Drug Administration has already approved quercetin as safe for human consumption, which means the researchers can skip testing on animals. If the treatment works, it’ll be readily available … Chrétien’s team says their treatment would cost only $2 a day.”

While the COVID-19 pandemic is in full swing—and for any future influenza season—supplementing with quercetin and zinc may be a good idea for many, in order to boost your immune system’s innate ability to ward off infectious illness. Here are some guidelines for dosage:

• Quercetin: Appalachian State University of North Carolina research shows that 500mg to 1000mg of quercetin can be taken daily for up to 12 weeks. “large but highly variable increases in plasma quercetin … unrelated to demographic or lifestyle factors.” (39)
• Zinc (and also copper): Zinc is a complex topic. More is not always better. You can actually backfire on your zinc intake. You should also be careful about maintaining a healthy ratio of zinc to copper when taking zinc. Chris Masterjohn, a nutrition scientist with a doctorate, noted this in an article (41) as well as a series of tweets (42)
  

  “In one study, 300mg/day of zinc as two divided doses of 150 mg zinc sulfate decreased important markers of immune function, such as the ability of immune cells known as polymorphonuclear leukocytes to migrate toward and consume bacteria.

  “The most concerning effect in the context of COVID-19 is that it lowered the lymphocyte stimulation index threefold. This indicates the ability of T cell to respond to perceived dangers by increasing their numbers. The reason this is so concerning in the context of COVID-19 is that poor outcomes are associated with low lymphocytes …

  “The negative effect on lymphocyte proliferation found with 300 mg/day and the apparent safety in this regard of 150 mg/d suggests that the potential for hurting the immune system may begin somewhere between 150-300 mg/d …

  “It is quite possible that the harmful effect of 300 mg/d zinc on the lymphocyte stimulation index is mediated mostly or completely by induction of copper deficiency …

  “The negative effect of zinc on copper status has been shown with as little as 60 mg/d zinc. This intake lowers the activity of superoxide dismutase, an enzyme important to antioxidant defense and immune function that depends both on zinc and copper …

  “A study done with relatively low intakes of zinc suggested that acceptable ratios of zinc to copper range from 2:1 to 15:1 in favor of zinc. Copper can be consumed up to 10 mg/day.

  “Notably, the maximum amount of zinc one could consume while staying in the acceptable range of zinc-to-copper ratios and also staying within the upper limit for copper is 150 mg/d.”

Masterjohn goes in depth about zinc absorption rates and more in his zinc article. (43) In short, Masterjohn recommends that zinc be taken between 7 and 15 mg four times daily. This should be done with an empty stomach or with a phytate-free meal.

The recommended dietary allowance in the U.S. is 11 mg for adult men and 8 mg for adult women, with slightly higher doses recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women, (44) so we’re not talking about taking significantly higher dosages.

You can also take one zinc citrate lozenge daily, which will give you an additional 18 mg. If you’re exposed to the virus, take one additional lozenge after the exposure.

Masterjohn stresses that you’ll want to keep your total zinc intake below 150 mg per day to avoid negative effects on your immune system. Masterjohn recommends that you get at least 1 mg copper from food and supplements, for every 15mg zinc.

Remember that zinc can be found in many foods so supplementation may not be necessary. I consume about three-fourths a pound of ground bison and lamb daily, which contain 20 mg of Zinc. I personally don’t take any zinc supplement other than what I get from my food, which is likely in an optimal form to maximize absorption.

Original publication April 27, 2020 on Mercola.com

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