Perception and Knowledge of Students of Medical Colleges towards Dietary Supplements Use for Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19
Main Article Content
Keywords
COVID-19; Dietary supplements; perception; vitamins; minerals; Treatment; prophylaxis; medical students
Abstract
Background: Dietary supplements (DSs) have grown in popularity over the last two decades, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is critical to educate medical students, the future health care providers, about the appropriate and safe use of DSs. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, use, and attitude of undergraduate students at medical colleges at Jouf University towards DSs use for prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Methods: The present descriptive cross‑sectional questionnaire‑based study involved undergraduate medical students at Jouf University, KSA. After ethical approval, data were collected using an online questionnaire through Google forms during the second term of academic year 2021-2022. The questionnaire was divided into two sections composed of four components including Demographics data, health status, use and attitude, and students, perceptions toward dietary supplements use. Data were analyzed by employing GraphPad Prism®9 software. Findings: The questionnaires were completed by 574 students, with 256 (44.5.0%) males and 318 (55.4%) females. Participants who never used DSs (25.78%) were excluded from the study. The most commonly used supplement was multivitamins (24.8%), followed by vitamin D (21.1%). 26.29% used DSs based on HCP advice, while 24.41% made their own decision. The majority (65%) believed that DSs could boost their immune systems, while 35% believed that dietary supplements could always lower the risk of infecting with COVID-19. Approximately 43.7% of participants believed that DSs had no side effects. The majority of participants (46%) believed that DSs intake was not required after COVID-19 vaccination, and 56.6% believed that healthy food could be used instead of DSs. 62% of study participants continued to use DSs after being prescribed them. Approximately 67.6% said they would recommend DSs for COVID-19 prophylaxis and 63.4% said they would recommend DSs for treatment. Conclusion: The current study's findings highlighted the significant prevalence of DSs consumption among students at medical colleges, at Jouf university, based on HCP advice and self-decision. The study suggests educating undergraduate students on the proper use of DSs for COVID-19 treatment or prophylaxis.
References
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38. Ozdemir K, Saruhan E, Benli TK, et al. Comparison of trace element (selenium, iron), electrolyte (calcium, sodium), and physical activity levels in COVID-19 patients before and after the treatment. Journal of trace elements in medicine and biology. 2022;73:127015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtemb.2022.127015
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2. Merwid-Ląd A, Szandruk-Bender M, Matuszewska A, et al. Factors That Influence the Use of Dietary Supplements among the Students of Wroclaw Medical University in Poland during the COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Environmental Research And Public Health. 2022;19:7485. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127485
3. Hamulka J, Jeruszka-Bielak M, Górnicka M, et al. Dietary Supplements during COVID-19 Outbreak. Results of Google Trends Analysis Supported by PLifeCOVID-19 Online Studies. Nutrients. 2020;13:54. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13010054
4. Mukattash TL, Alkhalidy H, Alzu’bi B, et al. Dietary supplements intake during the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic: A multinational Middle Eastern study. European Journal of Integrative Medicine. 2022;49:102102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. eujim.2022.102102
5. Chiu S, Tsai K, Wu C, et al. Putative Role of Vitamin D for COVID-19 Vaccination. International journal of molecular sciences. 2021;22:8988. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22168988
6. Anonymous. Sample size calculator. http://www.raosoft.com/samplesize.html (accessed 10/1/, 2023).
7. ALkharashi NA. The consumption of nutritional supplements and herbal products for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19 infection among the Saudi population in Riyadh. Clinical Nutrition Open Science 2021;39:11-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. nutos.2021.09.001
8. Aljaaly EA, Alhijri R, Al Nasser L. COVID-19 Effect on Dietary Supplements’ Consumption, Prophetic Medicine Practices and Herbs Use in Saudi Arabia. World Family Medicine Journal /Middle East Journal of Family Medicine. 2022;20. https://doi. org/10.5742/mewfm.2022.952597
9. Aina BA, Ojedokun OA. Knowledge and use of dietary supplements by students of College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria. Journal of Basic and Clinical Pharmacy. 2014;5:34-9. https://doi.org/10.4103/0976-0105.134952
10. Thiab SH, Nassar RI, Thiab S, et al. Medications and Natural Products Used in Jordan for Prevention or Treatment of COVID-19 During the Second Wave of the Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Online Survey. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal. 2022. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.jsps.2022.03.006
11. Singh S, Singh S, Lohani P, et al. Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Related to the Use of Nutraceuticals for Prophylaxis against COVID-19 among Undergraduate Medical and Nursing Students in a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital, Bihar, India. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. 2022;16(1):1. https://doi.org/10.7860/jcdr/2022/55408.16582
12. Djordjevic B, Milenkovic J, Stojanovic D, et al. Vitamins, microelements and the immune system: current standpoint in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019. British Journal of Nutrition. 2022;128:2131-2146.
13. Calder PC, Berger MM, Gombart AF, et al. Micronutrients to Support Vaccine Immunogenicity and Efficacy. Vaccines (Basel). 2022;10:568.
14. Pereira M, Dantas Damascena A, Galvão Azevedo LM, et al. Vitamin D deficiency aggravates COVID-19: systematic review and meta-analysis. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition 2022, 62, 1308-1316. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0007114522000083
15. Pell JP, Hastie CE, Sattar N, et al. Vitamin D concentrations and COVID-19 infection in UK Biobank” (Hastie et al.). Diabetes & metabolic syndrome clinical research & reviews. 2021;15:642. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dsx.2020.05.049
16. Gilani SJ, Bin-Jumah MN, Nadeem MS, et al. Vitamin D attenuates COVID-19 complications via modulation of proinflammatory cytokines, antiviral proteins, and autophagy. Expert review of anti-infective therapy. 2022;20:231-241. https://doi.org/10.10 80/14787210.2021.1941871
17. Pal R, Banerjee M, Bhadada SK, et al. Vitamin D supplementation and clinical outcomes in COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Endocrinol Invest. 2022;45(1):53-68. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14102134.
18. Sharif N, Opu RR, Khan A, et al. Impact of Zinc, Vitamins C and D on Disease Prognosis among Patients with COVID-19 in Bangladesh: A Cross-Sectional Study. Nutrients. 2022;14:5029. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14235029
19. Kümmel L. S, Krumbein H, Fragkou PC, et al. Vitamin D supplementation for the treatment of COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Frontiers in immunology. 2022;13:1023903.
20. Tehrani S, Yadegarynia D, Abrishami A, et al. An Investigation into the Effects of Intravenous Vitamin C on Pulmonary CT Findings and Clinical Outcomes of Patients with COVID 19 Pneumonia A Randomized Clinical Trial. Urology Journal. 2022;19(1):460-465.
https://doi.org/10.22037/uj.v18i.6863
21. Chavarría AP, Vázquez RRV, Cherit JGD, et al. Antioxidants and pentoxifylline as coadjuvant measures to standard therapy to improve prognosis of patients with pneumonia by COVID-19. Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal. 2021;19:1379-1390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csbj.2021.02.009
22. Catalano A, Iacopetta D, Ceramella J, et al. Are Nutraceuticals Effective in COVID-19 and Post-COVID Prevention and Treatment? Foods. 2022;11:2884. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11182884
23. Kumar V, Bhushan D, Supriya S, et al. Efficacy of intravenous vitamin C in management of moderate and severe COVID-19: A double blind randomized placebo-controlled trial. Journal of family medicine and primary care. 2022;11:4758-4765. https:// doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_2437_21
24. Al-Hazmi B. Role of vitamin c in the treatment and prevention of covid-19. International journal of medical dentistry. 2022;26:398-410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2022.11.213
25. Olczak-Pruc M, Swieczkowski D, Ladny JR, et al. Vitamin C Supplementation for the Treatment of COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Nutrients. 2022;14:4217. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14194217
26. Rohani M, Mozaffar H, Mesri M, et al. Evaluation and comparison of vitamin A supplementation with standard therapies in the treatment of patients with COVID-19. Eastern Mediterranean health journal. 2022;28:673. https://doi.org/10.26719/ emhj.22.064
27. Alesci A, Fumia A, Lo Cascio P, et al. Immunostimulant and Antidepressant Effect of Natural Compounds in the Management of Covid-19 Symptoms. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 2021;1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/07315724.2021.19 65503
28. Renata RN, Arely GA, Gabriela LA, et al. Immunomodulatory Role of Microelements in COVID-19 Outcome: a Relationship with Nutritional Status. Biological trace element research. 2022;1-19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-022-03290-8
29. Fath MK, Naderi M, Hamzavi H, et al. Molecular mechanisms and therapeutic effects of different vitamins and minerals in COVID-19 patients. Journal of trace elements in medicine and biology. 2022;73(1):127044. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. jtemb.2022.127044
30. Kocherlakota C, Nagaraju B, Arjun N, et al. Inhalation of nebulized omega-3 fatty acids mitigate LPS-induced acute lung inflammation in rats: Implications for treatment of COPD and COVID-19. Prostaglandins, leukotrienes and essential fatty acids. 2022;179(1):102426. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plefa.2022.102426
31. Nursyifa Fadiyah N, Megawati G, Erlangga Luftimas D. Potential of Omega 3 Supplementation for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Scoping Review. International journal of general medicine. 2022;15(1):3915-3922. https://doi.org/10.2147/ ijgm.s357460
32. Mahwish, Saeed F, Afzaal M, et al. A Dietary guidelines to boost immunity during pre and post covid-19 conditions. International journal of food properties. 2022;25(1):1246-1265. https://doi.org/10.1080/10942912.2022.2071287
33. Vishwakarma S, Panigrahi C, Barua S, et al. Food nutrients as inherent sources of immunomodulation during COVID-19 pandemic. Food science & technology. 2022;158:113154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2022.113154
34. Read SA, Obeid S, Ahlenstiel C, et al. The Role of Zinc in Antiviral Immunity. Advances in Nutrition. 2019;10(1):696-710. https:// doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmz013
35. de Faria Coelho-Ravagnani C, Corgosinho FC, Sanches FLFZ, et al. Dietary recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nutrition Reviews. 2021;79(1):382-393. https://doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuaa067
36. Kumar A, Kubota Y, Chernov M, et al. Potential role of zinc supplementation in prophylaxis and treatment of COVID-19. Medical hypothesis. 2020;144:109848. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2020.109848
37. Vehreschild MJGT, Atanasov P, Yurko K, et al. Safety and Efficacy of Vidofludimus Calcium in Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Phase 2 Trial. Infect Dis Ther. 2022;11:2159-2176. https://doi.org/10.1007/ s40121-022-00690-0
38. Ozdemir K, Saruhan E, Benli TK, et al. Comparison of trace element (selenium, iron), electrolyte (calcium, sodium), and physical activity levels in COVID-19 patients before and after the treatment. Journal of trace elements in medicine and biology. 2022;73:127015. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtemb.2022.127015
39. Lordan R, Rando HM, Greene CS. Dietary Supplements and Nutraceuticals under Investigation for COVID-19 Prevention and Treatment. Systems. 2021;6. https://doi.org/10.1128/msystems.00122-21
40. Feng Z, Yang J, Xu M, et al. Dietary supplements and herbal medicine for COVID-19: A systematic review of randomized control trials. Clinical nutrition ESPEN. 2021;44(1):50-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clnesp.2021.05.018
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Perception and Knowledge of Students of Medical Colleges towards Dietary Supplements Use for Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19. Pharm Pract (Granada) [Internet]. 2024 Jan. 4 [cited 2025 Jan. 22];21(4):1-11. Available from: https://www.pharmacypractice.org/index.php/pp/article/view/2861
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Author Biographies
Nasr Alotaibi , Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, Sakaka, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Malik Mohamed, Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, Sakaka, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan.
Haifa Alsirhani, Graduate students at College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, Sakaka, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Hala Alsharari, Graduate students at College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, Sakaka, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
How to Cite
1.
Perception and Knowledge of Students of Medical Colleges towards Dietary Supplements Use for Prevention and Treatment of COVID-19. Pharm Pract (Granada) [Internet]. 2024 Jan. 4 [cited 2025 Jan. 22];21(4):1-11. Available from: https://www.pharmacypractice.org/index.php/pp/article/view/2861