The Functional Medicine Approach to COVID-19: Virus-Specific Nutraceutical and Botanical Agents

As the novel infection with SARS-CoV-2 emerges, objective assessment of the scientific plausibility of nutraceutical and botanical interventions for prevention and treatment is important. We evaluate twelve such interventions with mechanisms of action that modulate the immune system, impair viral replication, and/or have been demonstrated to reduce severity of illness. These are examples of interventions that, mechanistically, can help protect patients in the presence of the prevalent and infectious SARS-CoV-2 virus. While there are limited studies to validate these agents to specifically prevent COVID-19, they have been chosen based upon their level of evidence for effectiveness and safety profiles, in the context of other viral infections. These agents are to be used in a patient-specific manner in concert with lifestyle interventions known to strengthen immune response (see related article in this issue of IMCJ).

Effect of dietary and infused lactose on rat intestinal lymph lipids

Twenty-four male, 6- to 8-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were fed one of two skim-milk-based diets or stock laboratory diet for 100-120 days to assess the effect of dietary and infused lactose on intestinal lymph lipids. One skim-milk-based diet had its lactose enzymatically hydrolyzed by commercial beta-galactosidase to its constituent monosaccharides galactose and glucose, while the second skim milk diet was unaltered. Serum triglycerides, but not serum cholesterol, were higher in the lactose- versus the glucose-/galactose-adapted rats at 90 days. There was no diet-associated qualitative difference in serum lipoproteins as analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. After the rats had consumed the diets for 100-120 days, 0.9% saline and 20% solutions of lactose, and equimolar mixtures of glucose/galactose, glucose and maltose were infused sequentially via a duodenal cannula, then intestinal lymph was collected via a mesenteric lymph duct cannula, the only significant difference was a 134% increase in lymph cholesterol, but not lymph triglyceride output, when lactose was infused into lactose-adapted rats.