Micronutrient Status and Fatty Acid Profile of Adults with SARS-CoV-2 Infection - an Observational Study

Melanie Bleffgen¹Laura Schinhammer¹Francesco Giuseppe De Rosa²Silvia Scabini²Beate Brandl¹Hans Hauner^3,4Simona Bo²Thomas Skurk^1,4*

• ¹ZIEL – Institute for Food & Health, Core Facility Human Studies, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
• ²Department of Medical Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Turin, Turin, Piedmont, Italy
• ³Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Nutritional Medicine, Technische Universität München, Freising, Bavaria, Germany
• ⁴Technical University Munich, Institute of Nutritional Medicine, School of Medicine and Health, Munich, Germany

SARS-CoV-2 infection is a complex disease with multiple dimensions, involving factors that promote infection and virus-driven processes in many body organs. The micronutrient status, beyond others, acts as a potential confounder, influencing susceptibility to infection and disease severity. Additionally, the virus appears to alter lipid metabolism, which may serve a dual function, supporting viral replication while simultaneously contributing to the body’s defense and repair mechanismsThis observational study compared micronutrient levels (vitamin D, selenium, zinc, magnesium, and iron) and lipid profiles between 139 SARS-CoV-2–positive patients (62 hospitalized, 77 home care) and 314 healthy controls, using dried blood spots. We also examined differences by treatment setting (hospitalized vs. home care) as a proxy for disease severity.Patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection exhibited similar micronutrient levels but showed a significantly impaired lipid profile compared to healthy controls. Notably, there was a significant decrease in palmitic (p-value < 0.01) and stearic acid levels (p-value < 0.01) and a significant increase in omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs, like AA (p-value < 0.01), DHA (p-value < 0.01), and EPA (p-value < 0.05) were detected. In the SARS-CoV-2 positive cohort, hospitalized patients had significantly lower micronutrient levels (p < 0.01 for all measured micronutrients) compared to those receiving home care. In conclusion, these findings suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection alters lipid metabolism and that lower micronutrient status may be linked to greater disease severity.