Chronic COVID syndrome: a new study shows the positive effects of using ApportAL®
Numerous studies have demonstrated how the Coronavirus infection can cause medium and long-term effects, generally known as “chronic COVID syndrome” or “Long-COVID”. One of the most common symptoms, which can last for months following the end of the infection, is persistent fatigue, also known as asthenia. This condition has been confirmed in persons of all ages, both those who have suffered from a serious infection and those who had only a mild form.
In Italy, a recent survey was conducted on around 200 post-Covid patients suffering from asthenia who were advised to take the food supplement ApportAL® (PharmaNutra S.p.A, Italy), containing vitamins and minerals that help to reduce fatigue, as well as amino acids and phytoextracts for 28 consecutive days.
The degree of fatigue and quality of life of these patients were measured three times using specific questionnaires: once before starting to take the supplement, after 14 and then after 28 days of treatment. To quantify the degree of fatigue, the FACIT-Fatigue Scale was used. This has been used in many studies and was chosen in particular to assign an objective asthenia value to patients suffering from persistent fatigue. The questionnaire includes 13 statements relating to tiredness, energy, sleep needs during the day and the ability to perform everyday activities. Another questionnaire, obtained by re-adapting the Chalder Fatigue Scale, was also used to understand the degree of mental fatigue, with questions on the ability to concentrate, memory and interest in the activities performed by the patients previously (prior to the infection).
The survey, conducted with the cooperation of many general practitioners from all over Italy, involved both young and elderly patients, whatever the severity of their previous infection and any variants of the virus; this observation was conducted on patients after recovering from Covid-19 infection.
The survey established a connection between the reduced feeling of persistent fatigue and the improvement of the quality of life after taking ApportAL®. In particular, the data obtained showed that 90% of patients obtained significant benefits in 28 days after starting to take ApportAL® (Figure 1).
Differences also seem to emerge according to sex: women indicated a “more severe” initial fatigue but improved more in terms of mental fatigue, measured using the modified Chalder test (Figure 2). This observation seems to be in line with data already published and reported in literature, which show that women who have recovered from the Covid infection show a higher degree of fatigue.
Moreover, very rapid recovery was observed in patients aged over 60, who showed improvements already after the first 14 days.
Figure 1. Percentage of persons showing improvements in the sensation of fatigue and tiredness 28 days after taking Apportal.
Figure 2. Percentage of persons showing an improvement in the mental fatigue questionnaire after 14 and after 28 days according to sex.
As we all know, vitamins and minerals play a fundamental role in fighting chronic physical and mental fatigue. The vitamins in group B, vitamin C, iron and magnesium are all involved in the energy metabolism and, if integrated in the right quantities, are able to offer benefits for the body in terms of physical and mental fatigue. Furthermore the presence of vitamin D, zinc and selenium improve the response of the immune system in recovering from the SARS-CoV-2 infection.
In conclusion, this study demonstrates that a combination of nutrients can have a positive synergic effect on reducing chronic fatigue in moderately fatigued persons and helping to improve quality of life. This is the first evidence that offers a solution for accelerating recovery in persons suffering from chronic post-Covid fatigue, and seems to be effective on almost all patients (90.05%), whatever their sex, age and the severity of the previous disease.
The condition of chronic fatigue observed in these patients suffering from SARS-CoV-2 infection is comparable to other forms of chronic physical and mental fatigue reported in persons suffering from other chronic diseases. The results obtained from this study show that Apportal® supplements are a valid opportunity for fighting chronic fatigue.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
M.S. Rossato; E. Brilli; N. Ferri; G. Giordano; G. Tarantino. Observational study on the benefit of a nutritional supplement, supporting immune function and energy metabolism, on chronic fatigue associated with the SARS-CoV-2 post-infection progress.Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2021 Dec;46:510-518. doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2021.08.031. Epub 2021 Sep 6.