Study suggests possible benefit from melatonin in COVID-19 Coronavirus COVID Melatonin AscorbicAcid Dietary Supplements VitaminC Vitamins WURSS PennMedicine JAmBoardFamMed
By Dr. Liji Thomas, MDAug 1 2022Reviewed by Benedette Cuffari, M.Sc. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic continues to persist due to emerging variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 that are associated with immune escape and enhanced infectivity. This has led to an increasing number of breakthrough infections; however, vaccines continue to protect against severe and critical disease.
COVID-19 appears to create oxidative stress that subsequently causes an inflammatory cascade resulting in cellular injury and multiple organ damage. Similarly, melatonin production in the body falls with age and has been postulated to underlie the increased severity of COVID-19 with age, given the immunomodulatory effects of this molecule.
The patients took either vitamin C, melatonin, or a placebo for two weeks. All three groups had comparable symptoms and quality of life at baseline. However, the group receiving melatonin showed an improvement in symptoms between days three and nine, which was not observed in those receiving vitamin C.
Implications The current study used a daily survey protocol to track small changes in symptoms and quality of life with the use of ascorbic acid and melatonin. The results indicate that 1,000 mg of vitamin C daily did not produce any change in the rate of symptom relief or improvement in the quality of life among COVID-19 patients, despite its antioxidant characteristics.