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. 2023 Apr 7;15(8):1807.
doi: 10.3390/nu15081807.

Effectiveness of Nutritional Supplements for Attenuating the Side Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines

Paola Gualtieri  1 , Domenico Trombetta  2 , Antonella Smeriglio  2 , Giulia Frank  3 , Angela Alibrandi  4 , Giulia Leggeri  1 , Marco Marchetti  5 , Ilaria Zingale  5 , Silvia Fanelli  5 , Arianna Stocchi  5 , Laura Di Renzo  1
Affiliations

Effectiveness of Nutritional Supplements for Attenuating the Side Effects of SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines

Paola Gualtieri et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Supplementation is known to enhance the immune response and reduce infection. Therefore, the association between immune nutrients and vaccine side effects needs to be investigated. Our aim was to analyze the relationship between vaccination side effects and supplement intake among the Italian population. The study included a questionnaire asking for personal data, anthropometric information, COVID-19 infection and immunity response, and COVID-19 vaccination and supplementation. The survey was conducted from 8 February to 15 June 2022. In the study, 776 respondents were included, aged between 18 and 86 (71.3% females). We observed a statistically significant correlation between supplement consumption and side effects at the end of the vaccination cycle (p = 0.000), which was also confirmed by logistic regression (p = 0.02). Significant associations were observed between supplement intake and side effects of diarrhea and nausea at the end of the vaccination cycle (p = 0.001; p = 0.04, respectively). Significant associations were observed between side effects and omega-3 and mineral supplementation at the start of the vaccination cycle (p = 0.02; p = 0.001, respectively), and between side effects and vitamin supplementation at the end of the vaccination cycle (p = 0.005). In conclusion, our study shows a positive impact of supplementation on vaccination response, increasing host immune defenses, and reducing side effects.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; immunonutrient; nutritional supplement; vaccine side effects.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Vaccination side effects. Distribution of vaccination side effects at the start (1st dose) and end (3rd dose) of the vaccination cycle. Values are expressed as numbers and percentages (n (%)) for categorical variables.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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