Clinical trial explores nutritional support to improve immune response to COVID-19

MIAMI – A clinical trial is underway at sites in Miami and around the country to examine whether nutritional support can benefit patients exposed to or infected with COVID-19.

The outpatient study was designed to asses the effects of restoring and maintaining a healthy digestive system.

Researchers are testing an investigational powdered food product to see if it can improve the balance of microbes in the gut.

“By boosting the balance of the digestive system, you can not only get a boost in the balance, but the theory is that you will get a boost as well in the immune system, and the beauty about this is it might not only help COVID-19 patients, which is the primary focus of our study right now, but you can also get that information and try to use it in other infections overall,” said Dr. Jose Pinero, who is the lead investigator.

Patients can participate at home in one of four locations throughout South Florida by clicking here.

In other health news, while there were initial concerns about the mental health impact of COVID-19 on the elderly, recent data shows older Americans are very resilient.

A group of researchers at institutions around the country looked at early data from several global studies on the relationship between older adults and mental health during the pandemic and found they were less negatively affected than younger adults.

One report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that older adults were less likely to start or increase substance abuse and less likely to think about suicide.


About the Author:

Veteran journalist Kathleen Corso is the special projects producer for Local 10 News.