Tag Archives: COVID-19

Can Vitamin D protect you from COVID-19?

Posted on November 9, 2020 by | 1 comment

Vitamin D is often seen as the “cure-all” for several reasons, and has since caught the attention of several researchers in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, according to several recent studies, researchers claim that there is not enough evidence to recommend the use of vitamin D supplements to prevent or treat COVID-19.

Why did researchers think that Vitamin D could help?

Vitamin D is obtained from sunlight or diet, and is naturally produced in the human body. Deficiencies in vitamin D are common, affecting one third of Canadians, and can result in many negative symptoms such as fatigue, muscle pain, and even depression. Vitamin D is known to play an important role in the immune system as it helps strengthen immunity in your body, protecting you from infections.

The sun’s energy turns a chemical in your skin into vitamin D3, which is carried to your liver & kidneys to transform it to the vitamin D used in your immune system to defend you from infections. Source: Health Harvard

In a study conducted in Spain, researchers have found that 82% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients had a deficiency in vitamin D, however, many specialists questioned whether this is due to a direct correlation between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 severity, or if other factors come to play.

What we know now:

The study conducted by researchers in a hospital in Spain in March of 2020, found that although there was a higher prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients hospitalized with COVID-19, there was no relationship between vitamin D concentrations or deficiency and the severity of the disease, such as the need for ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, or even death.

Furthermore, another study claims that the factors associated with COVID‐19 deaths, such as old age, ethnicity, obesity, diabetes, and hypertension (high blood pressure), overlap with the risks associated with vitamin D deficiency.  This study discusses how healthier people are likely to spend more time outdoors (exposing themselves to sunlight, gaining more vitamin D) and eat healthier, compared to less healthy individuals, explaining this overlap. This makes it difficult for researchers to know whether the severity of the disease is directly impacted by vitamin D deficiency, or from other factors that overlap.

Should you start/stop taking Vitamin D supplements?

Taking vitamin D supplements is generally viewed as safe by health authorities. However, specialists advice to not take doses above the doses recommended to you by your doctor, as higher doses can lead to kidney stones.

Watch this short video to listen to what different specialists have to say about the use of vitamin D supplements in response to COVID-19:

Despite the lack of evidence to support that vitamin D could help treat/prevent COVID-19, vitamin D deficiencies should still be treated. Consider talking to your doctor if you have a vitamin D deficiency about whether vitamin D taking supplements might be right for you.

Looking Ahead

Until there is conclusive evidence on whether vitamin D has an effect on COVID-19, as Tim Caulfield, Canada Research Chair in Health Law, said in the video above, “we have to be open-minded… and we’ve got to try stuff”, in regards to future research regarding COVID-19.

 

– Sarah Ghoul

1 Comment

Posted in Biological Sciences, Science in the News

Tagged , ,

COVID-19 and alcohol use: Why managing your alcohol consumption is crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic

Posted on November 1, 2020 by | 1 comment

COVID-19 has taken the world by storm. It has forced countries to shut down and people to self-isolate. While self-isolation and shutdowns are effective methods of preventing the spread of COVID-19, they come with collateral effects. A recent report published by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) found that 25% of Canadians (aged 35-54) are drinking more while at home during the COVID-19 pandemic due to boredom, stress, and/or a lack of regularity in their schedules.

Image: Nanos/CCSA – This shows the reasons people are drinking more during COVID-19, this is important as it gives us invaluable information on what is contributing to the rise in alcohol intake.

A similar increase was seen in Australia, where there was an increase of around 30% in alcohol bought compared to last year. Alcohol is used as a way to relax by many, but it can harbor many negative effects in a time such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently debunked the misconception that drinking alcohol can provide you extra immunity against the Coronavirus.

Image: WHO/Europe/Twitter  – The image above shows the message the World Health Organization sent out on Twitter to explain to the public that alcohol does not help your body fight COVID-19.

In contrast, a study concluded that alcohol might increase vulnerability to the Coronavirus. Alcohol consumption at levels such as 5 – 6 drinks at a time or having more than 14 drinks in a week has a role in disrupting one’s immune system. It can do so by disrupting physical, chemical, and cellular responses that are a part of the body’s first line of defense. Furthermore, alcohol can impair t-cell recruitment which lowers the number of white blood cells that can destroy the invaders, which weakens the immune system. This is dangerous, especially with COVID-19 looming, as a weaker immune system leaves you more susceptible to infections.

In this video, Dr. Charity Baker states “Alcohol isn’t healthy and never was”, which explains that alcohol use is not a way to fight COVID-19

Alcohol can not only damage the immune system, but there is also a growing concern that the sudden increase in alcohol usage during the pandemic may result in greater cases of alcoholism. Alcoholism can lead to many health problems ranging from mental disorders to liver/heart problems. In a family setting, this can result in domestic violence and child negligence, contributing to the development of many other long-term problems such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and depression.

The future is dependent on what actions people decide to take now. The increase in alcohol drinking can become a problem if not addressed properly. The way to prevent an increase in alcoholism and all of the consequential problems attached to it is to lower your alcohol intake to a low-to-moderate amount (maximum of 1 -2 drinks a day).  The effects of COVID-19 are here to stay for many years to come and if alcohol consumption is not controlled during this time, it will only add to the persistence of these effects.

– Harman Sandhu

1 Comment

Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Science Communication

Tagged , , ,

COVID-19: Could the common cold help protect you?

Posted on October 26, 2020 by | Leave a comment

A woman blowing her nose while sick with the common cold. Image: Mojca J / Pixabay

The common cold is never any fun to deal with, however a past cold might also provide you with some protection from COVID-19, a recent study suggests by the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Research from infectious disease experts at the University of Rochester Medical Center have also suggested that people who have had COVID-19 may be immune to it for a long time, possibly even for the rest of their lives.

What’s the foundation?

Even though the virus that causes COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) is relatively new, it falls under a category of beta coronaviruses that cause about 15–20% of common colds.

Depiction of a coronavirus with crown-like spikes leading to where it got it’s name. Image: Daniel Roberts / Pixabay

When you catch a cold, your body fights against the virus through your immune system. While your body does this, the immune system “remembers” the virus for the future. This is so the next time that virus enters your system, your immune system will be able to fight back even faster.

Video:  How immunity defenders work against COVID-19

The evidence

The study is the first to focus on memory B cells — immune cells that can last for decades. Since memory B cells can survive for decades, they could protect COVID-19 survivors from future infections for a long time — but further research is needed to confirm this.

Blood samples being analyzed in the lab. Image: Ahmad Ardity / Pixabay

The researchers compared blood samples from 26 people who were recovering from mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms and 21 healthy people who had their samples collected 6–10 years ago — long before they could be exposed to COVID-19.

The study found that B cells from the immune system that attacked previous cold-causing coronaviruses seemed to also recognize the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19 as a result of memory B cells being activated.

“When we looked at blood samples from people who were recovering from COVID-19, it looked like many of them had a pre-existing pool of memory B cells that could recognize SARS-CoV-2 and rapidly produce antibodies that could attack it,” said study authour Mark Sangster.

The study authors believe this could mean that anyone who has ever been infected by a common coronavirus — which is almost everyone — may have some amount of immunity to COVID-19. This means that if you were to be infected with COVID-19, the severity of your symptoms would be lower compared to those without pre-existing memory B cells for a common coronavirus.

What’s for the future?

The researchers will “need to see if having this pool of pre-existing memory B cells correlates with milder symptoms and shorter disease course — or if it helps boost the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines,” said study co-authour David Topham.

What can you do now?

While a past common cold may help lessen the symptoms of COVID-19, it does not mean that you should be trying to catch a cold. Instead, health officials advise for people to get their flu shots this season to reduce serious health complications and an additional burden on the health care system.

 

– Amrit Jagpal

Leave a comment

Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Science Communication

Tagged , , ,

Failure to Communicate

Posted on October 19, 2020 by | Leave a comment

Introduction 

Right now communicating science to the general public is more important than ever, and we are failing. Less than 50% of Americans say they would receive a vaccine for COVID-19. This shows the eroding trust that the public has for their once highly esteemed scientist. This is the result of breakdowns in the scientific method that have led to conflicting information being shared with the public.

Mask  Wearing

Perhaps the most notable slip up was the controversy surrounding masks.  While recommended now, it was not until April 3rd, three months into the pandemic, that the CDC began recommending the general public to wear a mask. This was in direct conflict with their earlier statements that only healthcare workers needed masks.  Scientists rushed conclusions that could not be properly verified before being shared with the public. The public demanded answers from a process that can take years, in a matter of weeks. By caving in to public demand, the CDC and World Health Organization were inevitably set up for failure as the pandemic progressed and more data was collected leading to new developments. Tweets from the U.S surgeon general like this

Tweet by Surgeon General Feb 29

only serve to fuel distrust when compared with tweets he makes a few months later.

Tweet by Surgeon General June 14

 

I do not fault scientists for changing their opinion as new data became available, but I do fault (some) scientists for stating their answers with confidence when the proper research and review had not been conducted.

 

Treatment

Image: flickr

Scientists have been under enormous pressure to find treatments for COVID-19 that can reduce mortality and infection rate. This has created haste in the scientific method and has allowed some treatments to receive emergency authorization from the FDA such as remdesivir. Even these emergency authorizations are accompanied by randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials that assure treatments are safe. These methods for testing were not present in the study of Hydroxychloroquine that led to its eventual emergency authorization.  The original study involved only 26 patients treated with Hydroxychloroquine that were compared to 16 untreated patients at a different hospital. Later studies conducted on Hydroxychloroquine would question its effectiveness as a treatment for COVID-19 and thus the scientific process was able to correct itself and the FDA revoked the use of Hydroxychloroquine. However, the public once again lost its trust in doctors. This opened the door to rumors and conspiracy theories to dominate the public view. In a pandemic where time is everything the spread of misinformation costs lives

By allowing leniency in the scientific method, we have opened the flood gates to all types of information being thrust onto the pedestal once reserved for the conclusion from the scientific method. Your uncle’s Facebook post about the healing power of Clorox bleach carries as much weight as the cutting edge research on COVID-19. Scientists have lost credibility with the public. This is not the first time this has happened, but it may be the most damaging.

 

Dylan Chambers

Leave a comment

Posted in Issues in Science, Science Communication, Science Communicators, Science in the News, Statistics, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , ,

COVID-19 and Alcohol Use: Why Managing Your Alcohol Consumption is Crucial During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Posted on October 13, 2020 by | Leave a comment

The Now

COVID-19 has taken the world by storm, forcing whole countries to shut down and people to self-isolate. Whilst self-isolation and the shutdowns are effective methods of preventing the spread of COVID-19, they also have their collateral effects. A recent report published by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction found that 25% of Canadians (aged 35-54) are drinking more while at home during the COVID-19 pandemic because of either boredom, stress, and/or lack of a regular schedule.

Image: Nanos/Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction

A similar increase was seen in Australia where there was an increase of around 30% in alcohol bought compared to last year. Alcohol while being a great way to relax also has many negative effects that in a time such as the COVID-19 pandemic can result in some very dangerous situations.

The Truth 

One misconception about alcohol that has been debunked by the World Health Organization (WHO) was that drinking alcohol can provide you extra immunity against the COVID-19 disease.

Image: WHO/Europe /Twitter

In contrast, a study concluded that alcohol might increase one’s vulnerability to the COVID-19 disease. Alcohol consumption has a documented role in disrupting one’s immune system. It can do so by disrupting physical, chemical, and cellular responses that are apart of the body’s first line of defense. Furthermore, alcohol can impair t-cell recruitment which means there is a lower number of total white blood cells that can go out and destroy the invaders, this results in a weaker immune system. This can be dangerous especially with COVID-19 looming as a strong immune system can help fight off COVID-19 with ease but with a weak one COVID-19 becomes a much greater threat.

From this, it can be understood that limiting the number of alcoholic drinks that you intake to a low-to-moderate amount will be beneficial for you.

Dr. Charity Baker states “Alcohol isn’t healthy and never was”

Alcohol can not only damage the immune system, but there is also a growing concern that the sudden increase in alcohol usage during the COVID-19 pandemic may result in greater cases of alcoholism. This is a concern as it can lead to many health problems that range from mental disorders to liver/heart problems; in a family setting, this can result in domestic violence and child negligence which can develop into many other long-term problems such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The Future 

The future is dependent on what actions people decide to take now. The increase in alcohol drinking which is collateral of COVID-19 can become a problem if not addressed properly. The way to prevent an increase in alcoholism and all of the consequential problems is to lower your alcohol intake to a low-to-moderate amount, which is considered to be a maximum of 1 -2 drinks a day.  The societal and economical effects of COVID-19 are here to stay for many years. If alcohol drinking is not controlled during this COVID-19 pandemic, these effects will also persist for many more years to come.

– Harman Sandhu

Leave a comment

Posted in Biological Sciences, Issues in Science, Science Communication

Tagged , , ,

Video

Your Posture Impacts More Than You Think

Posted on October 12, 2020 by | 1 comment

“Hey, sit up straight!” “Stop slouching!” Growing up, I’m sure we have all been scolded by our parents at the dinner table for having poor posture, without realizing why it was such an issue. Even though comments like these tend to get on our nerves from time to time, we aren’t reminded of our posture for no reason.

Ever since lockdown was declared due to COVID-19, the majority of university students have slowly adapted to the routine of working from home, as we now spend an abundant amount of time in front of screens, and developing excessive sedentary behaviour. This increased exposure to digital device usage serves as hazardous beginning stages for the development of poor posture and health risks.

What Is Posture and What Does Good Posture Look Like?

Posture is based on the body’s positioning and alignment in conjunction with the force of gravity. Whenever we are sitting, standing or lying down, gravity plays a vital role in exerting force on our joints, ligaments and muscles.

To indicate good posture when sitting at a desk or your personal work environment, your chair should be adjusted appropriately so that your feet rest flat on the floor and knees bent naturally. If you spend an adequate amount of time sitting in front of a computer screen, your monitor should be positioned at eye level or slightly below eye level to decrease strain on the neck.

Demonstrates the requirements for achieving correct sitting posture
Photo by Sophia, Jack
Source: bestchairlist.com

Long-Term Health Risk Factors

While not everyone is fortunate enough to have a dedicated and ergonomically friendly workstation, this leaves many working from sofas, beds, and chairs with a lack of proper support. As a result, some of the most common yet vital long-term health factors are at risk.

A recent study analyzed the pain and disability situation of individuals working from home during the COVID-19 isolation process. It was discovered upon the 87 volunteers who were included in a digital media questionnaire which focused on the transition from working in offices, that 50.6% of individuals suffered from low back pain, 44.8% from shoulder pain, and 35.6% from knee pain. This demonstrates that postural stress is closely associated with poor workstation ergonomics.

Pie graph analysis of pain resulting from working at home during COVID-19 isolation
Photo by PEKYAVAS, Nihan
Source: https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/ijdshs/issue/56796/772675

The Influence of Posture on Daily Activities

Brian Betancourt, exercise physiologist and Dr.Jose Mena, interventional spine specialist, summarize the effects of poor posture in the neck from daily activities while elaborating on a unique piece of advice to combat poor posture.

Looking Forward 

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we work as we slowly become more susceptible to health risks from developing poor sedentary posture. During this isolation process, it’s important that we consider our posture to avoid being negatively affected in areas of our body, over the course of heavy work sessions. This will ultimately allow us to freely engage and participate in meaningful activities in the long run.

– Gordon Wu

1 Comment

Posted in Biological Sciences, Science Communication

Tagged , , , , , , ,