Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34885202›Full record

ReviewCancers2021

A Narrative Review of the Safety of Anti-COVID-19 Nutraceuticals for Patients with Cancer.

Karlen Stade Bader-Larsen, Elisabeth Anne Larson, Maria Dalamaga, Faidon Magkos

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Cancers, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Karlen Stade Bader-LarsenDepartment of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, 1958 Frederiksberg, Denmark.
Elisabeth Anne LarsonDepartment of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, 1958 Frederiksberg, Denmark.
Maria DalamagaDepartment of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece.ORCID 0000-0002-7008-388X
Faidon MagkosDepartment of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, 1958 Frederiksberg, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-1312-7364

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Interest in dietary supplements and their efficacy in treating and preventing disease has increased greatly since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the risk of severe COVID-19 in patients with cancer, we conducted a narrative review aiming to better understand the data on the safety of the most efficacious "anti-COVID-19" nutraceuticals for patients with cancer. We conducted a PubMed database search aimed at identifying the most effective nutrients for use against COVID-19. For the identified nutraceuticals, we searched PubMed again regarding their safety for patients with cancer. Fifty-four total records (52 independent studies) were retrieved, pertaining to vitamin D, vitamin C, selenium, omega-3 fatty acids, and zinc. Vitamin D results from 23 articles indicated safe use, but two articles indicated potential harm. All 14 articles for vitamin C and five out of six articles for selenium indicated the safety of use (one study for selenium suggested harm with high-dose supplementation). Results for omega-3 fatty acids (seven articles) and zinc (one article), however, were rather mixed regarding safety. We conclude that vitamin D, vitamin C, and selenium supplements are likely safe or even beneficial at typically recommended doses; however, caution is urged with omega-3 fatty acid supplements, and zinc supplements should likely be avoided. More experimental research is needed, and nutraceutical use by patients with cancer should always be under the supervision of a healthcare team.

Indexed as

cancerCOVID-19nutraceuticalsSARS-CoV-2supplements

Identifiers

PMID34885202
PMCPMC8656592

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.