We made it through 2020, and 2021 may or may not be much better. There appear to be multiple vaccines for COVID-19 that have either already started to be distributed or will start being distributed soon. At least one of the vaccines may cause a severe allergic reaction in some individuals. We also still don’t know how effective it is.

The early indication is that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are over 90% effective, however, we don’t know for how long immunity may last. Moreover, there appears to be resistance to getting the vaccine by the general public. The fact is we will not know the overall effectiveness and safety profile of the vaccine for several years, which is causing general apprehension.

However, to state otherwise publicly, a person risks being called an “anti-vaxxer.” Many often treat the word “science” as being an absolute, as if all science is law and to dispute the governing consensus labels you as disreputable. Yet, the opposite should be true. Science should be challenged and tested, especially when that science is still in its infancy. How did we actually get to this point?

“Follow the science” has become a new religion, and like religion it is based on faith—faith that the assumptions being made are correct even if empirical evidence might suggest otherwise. This new religion requires rejection of alternative views as being heresy. In a nutshell, “follow the science” means to follow blindly even though common sense may tell you otherwise. Such is the world we are living in today.

Science vs. Common Sense
The crux of the problem, however, is the purveyors of this new religion often reject any use of nutrition to mitigate disease as hocus pocus. The purveyors of this new religion may say you are not necessarily what you eat or do, because unless you are morbidly obese then nutrition has minimal impact, even though a long look at the  world around us says otherwise.

They ignore that skyrocketing healthcare costs are directly related to the increase in chronic diseases, even though most chronic diseases can be avoided through proper nutrition and lifestyle. Rather, they believe uncritically in their science, even though the U.S. grows sicker as a nation year after year.

They called Dr. Atkins a quack—FDA actually issued a regulation that is still on the books regarding high protein diets. We now know Dr. Atkins was correct. They believe the evil that lurks in nutritional approaches to disease mitigation must be extinguished and the public told not to engage in such hocus pocus. 

We are told to eat low-fat everything and high-carb everything while ignoring the consequence of such health policy that has led to the type II diabetes epidemic that now pervades our country. This disease poses a serious threat to our healthcare system and will continue to exist as a pandemic long after COVID-19 is brought under control.

Indeed, many purveyors of “follow the science” will ignore nutrition as a means of mitigating disease even though common sense tells them otherwise. I know personally because FDA told me that a study on vitamin D and preterm birth was flawed because it was not controlled for sun exposure.

More specifically, FDA indicated a clinical study that looked at reducing preterm birth in predominantly minority pregnant women in South Carolina through vitamin D supplementation was flawed because sun exposure was not controlled and that sun exposure could have been the reason that vitamin D levels increased, leading to a reduction in
preterm births.

When I told the agency that notion lacked common sense because I doubt pregnant women were sunbathing in South Carolina to increase their vitamin D levels, the agency responded that science does not recognize common sense. The inability of the FDA to look at data with common sense left me dumbfounded and saddened that their faith in science took precedent over common sense. 

Quality vs. Quantity
Today, common sense tells us as a country we are growing sicker. Quality of life is decreasing. But, many of those seemingly wedded to science dispute this because we are living longer today than ever before. This assumption, when tested by common sense, exposes the truth (i.e., we are living longer but it is a life full of disease and chronic conditions). It is not necessarily a quality life.

To state it differently, science has extended life at the expense of quality of life. Common sense shows this every day. If you have spent a lot of time in airports, you have seen the majority of middle-age Americans are overweight, if not obese, often unable to walk through an airport without huffing and puffing. This is simple observation.

I will also admit I was one of them until I looked in the mirror and said “enough.” I changed my diet (though I still enjoy chocolate and a good IPA so I am not a kook) and started exercising. I lost over 50 pounds by cutting out simple carbs, increasing my fat and protein; and my blood work improved. I do not run out of breath when walking through an airport all because common sense said to stop living an unhealthy lifestyle. This common-sense approach, however, is not preached to us, and is often ignored by the religion of “follow the science,” which too often ignores nutrition approaches to overall health and disease prevention.

So, let’s apply not just science, but also common sense to the science. Our government should be telling the public to monitor their vitamin D levels, because vitamin D may help reduce the risk of developing a severe case of COVID, and may also help reduce the risk of upper respiratory infections.

Warning letters should not be sent to physicians who blog about the benefit of vitamin D even if they sell it on their practice’s website. We should tell people that zinc also may help reduce the risk of COVID-19 and other infections—vitamin C as well. No, it’s not a silver bullet, but it is one more tool in our tool belt, and common sense tells us this is true.

Mitigating Risk
Specifically, those at greatest risk of nutritional deficiencies suffer from chronic diseases at a greater rate due to poor nutrition and lifestyle choices. This cohort of individuals needs to be informed there are steps that can be taken to mitigate their risk while waiting for a vaccine—a vaccine that may provide only a short-term reprieve from the pandemic. My hope is the opposite, but what about the next pandemic that again preys on the less healthy? 

It is time to let our voices be heard and accept we are a sick nation that needs to get healthy to mitigate the effects of emerging diseases and pathogens. The healthier we are the more likely we will survive. It is time to bolster our immune health and reduce the levels of oxidative stress and inflammation that lead to bad outcomes. We need more than a national healthcare system, we need a system that highlights the benefits of being healthy in the first place. Only then will we impact the negative outcomes of poor nutritional choices that is obvious and certainly doesn’t require a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Before I conclude, I will note that I will get the vaccine when it is made available to me. I am not an anti-vaxxer and I am willing to take the risk because I understand there are a significant amount of unknowns; I am fine with that. At the same time, I am going to make sure my body stays on optimal alert by taking targeted supplements, including adequate levels of vitamin D, zinc, quercetin, NAC—FDA’s recent attack on this ingredient’s regulatory status strains credulity given 26 years of non-enforcement and it’s clear ability to support upper respiratory health—and other nutrients that show promise in supporting upper respiratory and immune health. And I will continue to take these nutrients even after I am vaccinated to support my long-term good health and quality of life.

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Todd Harrison
Venable

Todd Harrison is partner with Venable, which is located in Washington, D.C. He advises food and drug companies on a variety of FDA and FTC matters, with an emphasis on dietary supplement, functional food, biotech, legislative, adulteration, labeling and advertising issues. He can be reached at 575 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20004, Tel: 202-344-4724; E-mail: [email protected].