Zinc supplementation and COVID-19 mortality: a meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Nutritional Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Zinc supplementation has shown potential in reducing mortality in severe pneumonia cases.
• Existing research indicates a need to evaluate zinc's impact on COVID-19 outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a meta-analysis evaluating the effect of zinc supplementation on COVID-19 mortality.
• To synthesize findings from relevant studies to determine zinc's role in reducing COVID-19 deaths.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of PubMed/Medline and Google Scholar up to September 2021.
• Meta-analysis following PRISMA guidelines.
• Utilized fixed-effect or random-effect models to assess pooled risk (OR and 95% CI).

Main Results:

• Five studies with 1506 participants were included.
• Meta-analysis of 1398 participants showed zinc supplementation significantly lowered mortality risk in COVID-19 patients.
• Pooled odds ratio (OR) was 0.57 [0.43, 0.77] (P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• Zinc supplementation is associated with a reduced mortality rate in COVID-19 patients.
• Zinc supplementation presents a simple, cost-effective strategy for decreasing COVID-19 mortality.