This article was previously published July 20, 2020, and has been updated with new information.
Your body uses vitamins for normal cell functioning; Essential vitamins must be consumed because they cannot be manufactured by the cells. Vitamins are grouped into two categories: fat soluble and water soluble.1 The fat soluble types get stored in fatty tissue and absorbed when eaten with dietary fat.
Water soluble vitamins are not stored by your body. Instead, excessive amounts are excreted through the urine. This means that essential water-soluble vitamins must be consumed on a regular basis to prevent any shortages. Vitamin B7, colloquially called biotin, is a water-soluble vitamin your body uses for energy metabolism.
Vitamins have different jobs within the body, including supporting your immune system, neurological system and energy metabolism. Biotin is a cofactor for an enzyme that is crucial in the metabolism of glucose, fatty acids and amino acids. It is also used in the production of hormones and cholesterol.2
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance that's required in the right amounts for good health. Your body uses about 1,000 mg of cholesterol every day to synthesize hormones and vitamin D and to make cell membranes and the myelin sheath, which surrounds nerve cells.3 Without adequate biotin, your body can't make enough cholesterol.
What's Behind Your Hair Loss?
Despite a lack of research to support the idea that biotin may help address hair loss or improve skin and nail health, dermatologists have been prescribing it for years.4 Studies published in 20165 and 20176 included results having to do with the use of biotin to help thinning hair.
Although it was helpful when prescribed to those with a biotin deficiency, it didn't appear to be useful in others. In the study published in 2016, researchers assessed patients from the Center for Dermatology and Hair Diseases who arrived with complaints of hair loss. They found that 38% of the women also had a biotin deficiency.
The most common type of hair loss in women and men is androgenetic alopecia.7 Men lose it at the front and vertex of the head, with thinning along the sides over the ear. Women start with diffuse thinning at the vertex.
By age 50, 50% of men will experience what is commonly called male pattern baldness. Interestingly, malnutrition, iron deficiency anemia and thyroid disease are also linked to hair loss. Other reasons for loss can include telogen effluvium, when the hair is lost in moderate amounts after a major body stress. Side effects from some drugs, medical illness and a fungal infection of the scalp can also cause hair loss.8
Yet, dermatologist Dr. Wilma Bergfeld from Cleveland Health Clinic finds that one of the most common causes is poor nutrition, more specifically the lack of essential vitamins. She says dermatologists start their detective work with a thorough physical exam and medical history, including family records and information on each patient's diet, exercise and medications. She commented:9
"If your hair is falling out at the roots, often something is going wrong in your body or in your life situation. We find biotin to be very helpful for hair disorders. It also makes nails thicker, and oral biotin is exceedingly safe, even in large doses. Biotin improves hair growth and helps with inflammation. The hair follicle, the skin and the nails all benefit."
Common Signs of Insufficiency
Insufficiency of this B vitamin is more rare than other nutritional deficiencies, but it can still occur. Since the body does not store it, your nutrient intake must be consistent. Some of the common signs of insufficiency include hair loss, brittle nails and a red, scaly rash around the eyes, nose, mouth and genitals. Other symptoms may include:10
Depression
Loss of appetite or nausea
Tingling in the extremities
Numbness
Hallucinations
Several of the symptoms of biotin insufficiency are neurological in nature. Researchers also suggest that biotin supplementation may be helpful in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). It's crucial in the development of the myelin sheath, which gets damaged or destroyed in MS. In one study, scientists concluded, "These preliminary data suggest that high doses of biotin might have an impact on disability and progression in progressive MS."11
Dr. Bruce Cree is a neurologist from the University of California San Francisco. He has a special interest in the disease and commented on a study of a pharmaceutical grade biotin treatment for MS:12
"Taken together, these studies are very promising and provide hope for a condition that has thus far been largely intractable using treatments targeting neuro-inflammation. That the extension study from the SPI trial showed an apparent durability of effect suggests that high dose biotin may have disease modifying properties in addition to its proposed role in enhancing energy metabolism.
Furthermore, the positive impact of high dose biotin points to a new line of inquiry in understanding the pathophysiology of progressive MS."
Deficiency can happen with prolonged parenteral feedings that are not supplemented with vitamin B7. Individuals who eat raw egg whites for long periods of time can also experience deficiency, since the egg whites contain a type of protein called avidin, which binds with biotin,13 thus preventing the body from absorbing the nutrient.14
Biotin Brings the Good Stuff
Biotin plays a role in metabolic function and the metabolism of carbohydrates and amino acids. The breakdown of these nutrients helps create energy. In one study of 447 people with poorly controlled Type 2 diabetes, researchers added chromium picolinate with biotin for 90 days.15
When compared to the control group who received a placebo, the intervention group showed a reduction in their hemoglobin A1c by 0.54%. Fasting glucose levels were also lower, suggesting the combination may be a successful adjuvant to medication prescribed for glycemic control.
In a second, more recent study, researchers found that the synergistic effect with chromium picolinate is well-tolerated.16 Biotin has also been tested in people with Type 1 diabetes. Scientists believe it may have the potential to slow hepatic steatosis and control diabetic neuropathy and nephropathy.17
As you might expect, since a biotin deficiency can lead to brittle nails, adding extra biotin to the diet may help strengthen them. In an animal study, researchers looked at in vitro lab results involving animal claws and hooves. They used biotin as treatment for nail disorders and found "Several observations in animals and cells lines led to the hypothesis that biotin could be used to treat human nails."18
Although supplementation with biotin rapidly clears skin rashes associated with the vitamin deficiency, there is no scientific evidence that it can improve everyone's skin health.19 There is evidence that both deficiency and overload can adversely affect a growing baby. Women who are pregnant should consult their OB/GYN.
Supplements May Alter Thyroid Tests
The Food and Nutrition Board has not established the upper limits for biotin supplementation.20 In 1998, scholars from the National Academy of Sciences gathered information from clinical observations and studies in which biotin deficiency was induced.21 Factors they identified that affect an individual's body requirement include the ingestion of raw egg whites, genetic defects, anticonvulsants and pregnancy.
They found no adverse effects associated with a high intake of biotin in humans or animals. People taking up to 200 milligrams by mouth each day did not have any signs of toxicity. However, based on results from an animal study, they did find that taking doses of biotin during pregnancy can inhibit placental growth and increase the risk of miscarriage.
The doses used in the study were higher than those that are frequently recommended and they were not found to be useful in determining an upper intake level for humans. The Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health reports that an upper limit for biotin has still not been established as there aren't negative effects noted with high intakes.22
However, even taking a low dose can interfere with diagnostic blood tests commonly used to measure hormones, such as your thyroid hormone. It can also alter results of vitamin D tests.23 This can be crucial in optimizing your vitamin D level before the fall flu season and the expected second wave of COVID-19.
Taking biotin before a thyroid test has resulted in false diagnoses of Graves' disease and severe hypothyroidism. A single 10 mg dose taken 24 hours before a thyroid function test can taint the results. The FDA published a warning in 2017 that biotin could interfere with lab tests.24
They received a report of an individual who died following a troponin test, which had been done for markers of cardiac health. The individual had been taking high levels of biotin and the test revealed a false negative, resulting in no treatment following a heart attack.
Biotin can also interact with medications, and some medications can lower biotin levels. For instance, anticonvulsant treatments can significantly lower biotin, which may happen by increasing catabolism of biotin and inhibiting absorption.25
Start With Biotin-Rich Foods
The best way to get your biotin is through whole food, especially if you are concerned about a supplement altering your test results. However, if you steer clear of taking excessive amounts and stop taking supplements at least 24 hours before a blood test, biotin supplements can be safe. It's important to let your physician know you are taking supplements if you must have an emergency blood test.
There are two forms of biotin found in food. The first is free biotin, found in plants. The second is protein-bound in protein-based animal foods. The free version is more readily absorbed, but your body can use both forms. Foods high in free biotin include:26,27
Almonds
Sunflower seeds
Spinach and broccoli
Carrots, onions and cauliflower
Sweet potatoes
Protein-bound biotin is found in:
Organic, free-range/pastured eggs yolks
Organ meats such as liver and kidneys
Dairy products such as milk, butter and cheese (ideally organic raw milk from grass fed cows)
Seafood (just make sure it's low in mercury and other contaminants, and wild-caught, not farmed)
One of the best sources of biotin is pastured egg yolk. Cooking the egg white deactivates the avidin, which means eating cooked eggs will not lead to a biotin deficiency. If you choose to take a biotin supplement for hair loss, the Cleveland Clinic dermatologists recommend a mega-B combination:
3 milligrams of biotin
30 milligrams of zinc
200 milligrams of vitamin C
<1 milligram of folic acid
Bergfeld notes, "Occasionally, the mega B-vitamin combination gives some patients minor gastric trouble but switching them to biotin alone relieves it."28
Research published in December 20211 using data from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Aging (TILDA) discovered those with a vitamin B12 deficiency had a greater risk of symptoms of depression. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America,2 264 million people worldwide live with symptoms of depression. In 2017, roughly 17.3 million adults in the U.S. had experienced at least one major depressive episode.
This number rose in 2019 to 19.4 million adults who had experienced at least one major depressive episode.3 It is not uncommon for someone who has depression to also suffer from symptoms of anxiety.4 According to the CDC,5 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey show women are roughly twice as likely to experience depression as men, which was a pattern that was observed in each age group surveyed.
Symptoms of depression can include feeling sad or empty, hopeless, irritable, worthless and restless. You may have difficulty sleeping, experience appetite or weight changes or have thoughts of death or suicide. Not everyone experiences every symptom. For some individuals, their symptoms make it difficult to function.6
The December 2021 study linked deficiencies in vitamin B12 with the incidence of symptoms of depression in the elderly. Vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin found in some foods.7 It's also available as a prescription medication and dietary supplement. Your body uses vitamin B12 for the function and myelination of the central nervous system, to form healthy red blood cells and in DNA synthesis.
Food sources include those of animal origin, such as pasture-raised poultry, dairy products, eggs and meat. Absorption of vitamin B12 is dependent on intrinsic factor, which is a transport and delivery binding protein produced in the stomach.8 The bioavailability from food decreases when the amount of vitamin B12 exceeds the capacity of intrinsic factor.
Vitamin B12 is released from food by the activity of hydrochloric acid and gastric protease in the stomach and saliva in the mouth.9 In 1999 it was estimated10 that vitamin B12 deficiency affects up to 15% of people over age 60. In this study, however, classic symptoms of deficiency were often lacking in this population.
The low vitamin B status is attributed to the high prevalence of atrophic gastritis which results in low-acid pepsin secretion and reduces the release of vitamin B12 from food. The 2021 study finds these low levels of vitamin B12 may increase the risk of depression in older adults.11
Vitamin B12 Deficiency Associated With Depression
The study published in the British Journal of Nutrition12 sought to evaluate the relationship between vitamin B12, folate and the incidence of depression in older individuals living in the community. There were 3,849 individuals over age 50 included.
The results showed a link between vitamin B12 deficiency, but not with a folate deficiency.13 The researchers found that even after controlling for factors such as chronic disease, cardiovascular disease, antidepressant use, physical activity and vitamin D status, the results remain significant.14
The older adults who had a B12 deficiency had a 51% increased risk of developing symptoms of depression during the four years of the study. The data also showed that certain factors influenced the vitamin B12 status in older adults. This included geographic location, obesity, smoking, socioeconomic status and gender.
While the link was found between older adults living in the community and a vitamin B12 deficiency, they also found that older individuals in the study had a lower risk of depression. In a press release from Trinity College Dublin, Eamon Laird, from TILDA15 and lead scientist of the study talked about the results in a press release, saying:16
“This study is highly relevant given the high prevalence of incident depression in older adults living in Ireland, and especially following evidence to show that one in eight older adults report high levels of low B12 deficiency rates.
There is a growing momentum to introduce a mandatory food fortification policy of B-vitamins in Europe and the UK, especially since mandatory food fortification with folic acid in the US has showed positive results, with folate deficiency or low status rates of just 1.2% in those aged 60 years and older.”
Vitamin D Deficiency Plays a Role in Mental Health
This recent study highlights the importance of adequate nutrition to protect your optimal health. In addition to vitamin B12, other nutrients have a significant effect on mental health. Vitamin D is one of those nutrients. Vitamin D, also known as calciferol,17 is a fat-soluble vitamin, which your body can absorb from a few foods and produces endogenously when exposed to sunlight.
People can become deficient when they consume less than the recommended level, have limited exposure to sunlight, their absorption from the digestive tract is inadequate, or the kidneys do not convert the vitamin to its active form. Scientists believe that vitamin D deficiency is a vastly overlooked global health problem at epidemic proportions.18
How vitamin D deficiency is defined also varies. For the most part, researchers interpret vitamin D deficiency as serum levels of 25(OH)D at 20 nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL) or less.19 However, optimal serum levels of vitamin D are between 40 ng/mL and 60 ng/mL.20
Early research in 200021 demonstrated there were significantly deficient levels of vitamin D3 in patients who suffered from depression and alcohol addiction. By 2007, researchers had recognized the importance of low levels of vitamin D on mood.22
Further research23 found individuals with fibromyalgia also had a higher risk of low serum levels of vitamin D and it appeared that supplementing with high doses of vitamin D in individuals who were depressed and overweight could ameliorate the symptoms.24 Over the years, researchers continue to ask the question if vitamin D is a causal association with depression or another symptom of the condition.25
Other scientists postulated whether an effective therapy for depression would be the detection and treatment of vitamin D deficiency.26 By 2014,27 one study found hypovitaminosis D was associated with the severity of depression that people experienced. Their results suggested there was an inverse associated dose-response, which implied that low levels of vitamin D may be an underlying biological vulnerability.
In 2018,28 the British Journal of Psychiatry published a systematic review and meta-analysis that demonstrated low levels of vitamin D are associated with depression. The important factor to remember is that it's highly unlikely supplementation in people whose serum levels are optimal will have any effect on mood disorders. Instead, the effect is more likely to be found in those whose serum levels are low.
Relevance of Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Depression
Omega-3 fats are essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which your body needs for a variety of functions. These include digestion, blood clotting, brain health and muscle activity. In early 2021, omega-3 fats made the news when data29 revealed individuals with an omega-3 index measuring 5.7% or greater had significantly better outcomes from COVID-19.
An omega-3 index measures the amount on the red blood cell membranes.30 Those with a measurement less than 4% have a higher risk of heart disease. Individuals with an omega index between 4% and 8% have an intermediate risk and those whose level is greater than 8% are at low risk of heart disease.
One 2016 published analysis of the data31 revealed there were areas of the world with omega-3 index measurements greater than 8%. These included Scandinavia, Sea of Japan and indigenous populations who did not eat westernized foods. Areas of the world with levels below 4% included Central and South America, Europe, North America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa.
While your level of omega-3 is important, equally as important is the ratio between omega-6 and omega-3. I have found it extremely difficult to correct an imbalance by simply taking more omega-3 fats. In fact, just as an excessive amount of omega-6 is dangerous, an excessive amount of omega-3 can also contribute to ill-health.
The imbalance between omega 6 and omega 3 that occurred in the last 150 years is thought to be behind many of the inflammatory-related diseases common in society, including depressive disorders.32 Increasing evidence suggests that a deficiency in omega-3 fats contribute to mood disorders, including depression.33,34,35
Increased Risk in Elderly of Deficiencies and Depression
Vitamin D,36 B1237 and omega-3 fats are common deficiencies found in the general population and older adults. The reason older adults may have nutrient deficiencies is likely related to poor absorption, poor diet and lack of exposure to sunlight.
A lack of optimal levels of nutrients is a significant contributor to the development of inflammation and disease, and one of the health conditions associated with inflammation is depression.38 Depression affects the quality of life and productivity in the elderly, at a time when they are often more isolated from others.
To date, many older adults are treated for depression using psychotherapy and/or medications. However, since there is a significant link between nutrition and mood, it only makes sense to first address the potential nutrient deficiencies before adding medications that come with a long list of side effects.
One of the more common classes of antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs),39 may trigger nausea, dizziness, insomnia, anxiety, diarrhea and tremors,40 all of which can be dangerous for older adults. These side effects can negatively impact intake or increase the risk of a fall.
As has been demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining optimal health and nutrition helps to reduce your risk of contracting a viral illness. The featured study also demonstrates that nutrient intake is crucial to your mental health. It is much easier to address bodily needs before they trigger illness and disease. Although it may take a little time and energy, it is vital for your quality of life to take control of your health.
The Substack Modern Discontent recently posted an anthology series on the benefits of quercetin,1 including the finding that it works like hydroxychloroquine, a drug found to be effective against SARS-CoV-2 when used early enough.
Part 12 begins with a brief overview of what quercetin is and its basic mechanisms of action. Quercetin is a flavonoid found in a variety of fruits and vegetables, such as onions and shallots, apples, broccoli, asparagus, green peppers, tomatoes, red leaf lettuce, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, black currants and green tea.
The quercetin content in any given food is largely dependent on light exposure, though, so depending on the country you’re in, different foods will top the list of most quercetin-rich. General mechanisms of action of this nutrient include:3
Antioxidant activity — Antioxidants help prevent oxidative damage from harmful reactive oxygen species (ROS). Quercetin acts as a free radical scavenger, and its activity can be further enhanced by vitamin C
Anti-inflammatory activity — This is in part responsible for quercetin’s cardiovascular benefits
Inhibition of platelet aggregation
Anti-allergy activities (inhibits release of histamine and other allergic substances)
Immunomodulation
Anticancer activity
Antiviral activity — It’s been found to reduce replication of many viruses, including HIV, hepatitis C, enterovirus 71, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus and SARS-CoV-2, by targeting the proteases in these viruses
Zinc ionophore — Quercetin helps zinc enter your cells. Zinc, in turn, has potent antiviral activity
Quercetin Against SARS-CoV-2
In Part 24 of the anthology, Modern Discontent reviews the evidence behind the recommendation to use quercetin against COVID-19 specifically. As mentioned, zinc has antiviral activity, and quercetin helps shuttle the zinc into the cell. But quercetin also has other mechanisms of action that make it useful in the fight against COVID-19.
For example, quercetin has been shown to:
Inhibit SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to ACE2 receptor docking.5,6,7 Computational modeling studies have shown quercetin can bind to the ACE2 receptor and the spike protein interface, thereby inhibiting the two from binding together. By preventing viral attachment, it helps prevent viral entry into the cell. Commenting on one of these studies, Modern Discontent notes:8
“Although [a] computer modeled study,9 the evidence here suggests that quercetin’s binding activity to ACE2 is comparable to other standard of care drugs used to treat SARS-CoV-2 (eg. Remdesivir, Lopinavir, Ritonavir).”
Inhibit lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) production in macrophages.10 (TNF-α is a cytokine involved in systemic inflammation, secreted by activated macrophages, a type of immune cell that digests foreign substances, microbes and other harmful or damaged components.)
Inhibit the release of proinflammatory cytokines and histamine by modulating calcium influx into the cell.11
Stabilize mast cells and regulate the basic functional properties of immune cells, thereby allowing it to inhibit “a huge panoply of molecular targets in the micromolar concentration range, either by down-regulating or suppressing many inflammatory pathways and functions.”12
Act as a zinc ionophore, i.e., a compound that shuttles zinc into your cells.13 This is one of the mechanisms that can account for the effectiveness seen with hydroxychloroquine, which is also a zinc ionophore.
Boost interferon response to viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, by inhibiting the expression of casein kinase II (CK2)14 — CK2 is an enzyme that is fundamental to controlling homeostasis at the cellular level. There is evidence that it down-regulates the ability a cell has to generate Type 1 interferon when attacked by a virus.
It does this by inhibiting retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I),15 which has protein sensors that signal genetic expression of type 1 interferon by identifying the replication of RNA viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2. Quercetin inhibits the expression of CK2, which slows the replication of RNA viruses.16
Interferons are a subset of cytokines discovered in 1957.17 These cells are often the initial defense against viruses. There are two types and three forms of interferon. Within Type 1 interferon, there are alpha and beta. Type 2 interferon has the gamma form.18
The different types are based on the function of the cytokine. Type 1 interferons help cells resist viruses. Type 2 aids in responding to infections and cancer growth. The name "interferon" came from the ability of Type 1 to interfere with the virus's ability to duplicate. A cell secretes interferons when a foreign substance, like a virus, is detected.
However, the interferon does not function by attacking the virus. Instead, it tells the infected cell and the cells that surround the infected cell to make proteins that stop viral replication. In a nutshell, quercetin stops CK2 from interfering with the action of Type 1 interferon so cells receive the signal to stop viral replication.
Modulate NLRP3 inflammasome, an immune system component involved in the uncontrolled release of proinflammatory cytokines that occurs during a cytokine storm.19
Exert a direct antiviral activity against SARS-CoV20,21,22 — Quercetin’s general antiviral capacity has been attributed to three primary mechanisms of action:
Binding to the spike protein, thereby inhibiting its ability to infect host cells23
Inhibiting replication of already infected cells
Reducing infected cells’ resistance to treatment with antiviral medication
Inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 main protease.24
The Front Line Critical COVID-19 Care Alliance (FLCCC) early treatment protocol25 includes quercetin at a dose of 250 milligrams twice a day, in combination with 100 mg elemental zinc and 500 mg to 1,000 mg of vitamin C twice a day.
Quercetin in COVID-19 Medical Literature
In Part 3,26 Modern Discontent reviews some of the clinical trials that have taken place. One COVID-19-specific study27 found that people who took zinc and two zinc ionophores — quinine drops and quercetin — had lower incidence of COVID-19 than the control group. Over the course of the study (20 weeks), only two of the 53 test subjects became symptomatic, compared to 12 of the 60 controls. As noted by Modern Discontent:28
“Although this didn’t test quercetin in isolation, the study does suggest that over-the-counter, easily accessible compounds may be extremely beneficial in fighting against COVID, especially when taken as a prophylactic.”
In another trial,29 76 outpatients who tested positive but had only mild symptoms were given 1,000 mg of Quercetin Phytosome® (quercetin in sunflower phospholipids that increase oral absorption 20-fold) per day for 30 days, in addition to standard care (analgesics, oral steroids and antibiotics). Another 76 patients were given standard of care only.
In the quercetin group, only 9.2% of participants went on to require hospitalization, compared to 28.9% of patients who received standard of care only. According to the authors:30
“The results revealed a reduction in frequency and length of hospitalization, in need of non-invasive oxygen therapy, in progression to intensive care units and in number of deaths.
The results also confirmed the very high safety profile of quercetin and suggested possible anti-fatigue and pro-appetite properties. QP [Quercetin Phytosome®] is a safe agent and in combination with standard care, when used in early stage of viral infection, could aid in improving the early symptoms and help in preventing the severity of COVID-19 disease.”
Quercetin was also featured in two scientific reviews published in 2020.31 The first, published in in the Integrative Medicine journal in May 2020,32 highlighted quercetin’s promotion of SIRT2, which inhibits NLRP3 inflammasome.
The second review article,33 published in the June 19, 2020, issue of Frontiers in Immunology, highlighted quercetin’s usefulness as a COVID-19 treatment when used in conjunction with vitamin C. The vitamin C recycles oxidized quercetin, producing a synergistic effect. It also enhances quercetin’s antiviral capacity.
Food as Medicine
With the advent of processed foods, many important nutrients have been lost or minimized in the average person’s diet. Quercetin, being found in fresh fruits, vegetables and berries is one of them. Unfortunately, while essential vitamins and minerals are generally recognized for their importance, antioxidants such as quercetin are often overlooked, and sometimes labeled as “pseudoscience” or “fad” supplements. As noted by Modern Discontent:
“The great number of benefits that these compounds contribute to humans cannot be overstated ... An argument can be made that not only could quercetin prove beneficial to our health, but an absence of it may prove detrimental in the long term.”
If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s the importance of basic health and a healthy immune function. In this regard, a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables can go a long way. Nutritional supplements also have their place, especially in situations like a pandemic.
Summary
In conclusion, Modern Discontent provides the following summary of findings:34
• “There’s evidence that quercetin may work similarly to hydroxychloroquine — It seems that quercetin may operate as both an immunomodulator and a zinc ionophore. Its use as an over-the-counter anti-allergic supplement as well as its use for asthma indicates an ability to affect the production of histamine and cytokines ...
• Quercetin has plenty of other benefits — ... Antioxidants ... are some of the most well studied compounds, with possible anti-cancer, pro-heart and pro-organ benefits. Add on possible antimicrobial properties and it becomes hard to argue that this is nothing more than a possible fad supplement.
• Although limited, there is some evidence that quercetin may be effective against SARS-CoV2 — Computer models and in vitro studies suggest that ACE2 receptors and the main protease of SARS-CoV2 may be good target candidates for quercetin ... the limited number of studies suggest quercetin may be effective, especially if used early on or as a prophylactic.
• Dietary quercetin is the main source of quercetin, and its deficiency in modern diets may be contributing to our health problems — Quercetin is primarily sourced from colorful fruits, vegetables, teas ... all foods that many of our ancestors would have consumed on a regular basis ... Modern ‘enriched’ foods tend to supplement with additional vitamins and minerals, but may miss out on other plant-derived compounds that have played a substantial role in our diet.
Similar to reduced sunlight exposure and the need for increased vitamin D supplementation, we may need to look at possible supplementation of overlooked compounds such as polyphenols. Sourcing these compounds from real foods would prove the most beneficial, but in groups of people who may not have access to fresh fruits and vegetables, quercetin and polyphenol supplementation may be useful.
This would include people with alternative diets such as keto, who may avoid high carb fruits, and thus may be missing a key nutrient in their diets.
Quercetin has plenty of benefits, and for those who may be missing out on it in their diet they may want to look into sourcing it with supplementation. Don’t take this as a prescription or recommendation, but an argument to examine your own health and see what you may be lacking ...”
In this interview, Alix Mayer explains why our children are being so aggressively targeted for the COVID-19 injection even though they’re not at risk of serious SARS-CoV-2 infection, and clarifies the status of Comirnaty.
Mayer, board president of Children's Health Defense —California Chapter, is herself vaccine injured; not from the COVID jab, but from a series of vaccines she received 20 years ago. (On a side note, her great-great-grandfather was Oscar Mayer, founder of the Oscar Mayer company, which the family sold to General Foods in 1981.)
Mayer graduated from Duke University with a BA and from Northwestern University with an MBA in finance and management strategy. She worked for Apple in the mid-1990s. When she was 29, Apple promoted her to acting manager of worldwide customer research.
In preparation for a family trip to Bali, her doctor recommended getting six vaccines: hepatitis A vaccine, hepatitis B vaccine, diphtheria, tetanus, polio and oral typhoid, which she did. Eventually, 13 years later, she finally realized it was these shots that triggered her health problems.
“They gave me brain damage and total disability,” she says. “I spent three years in my early 30s being 80% housebound, and I really I didn't know if I was ever going to get better.
I went through a whole bunch of diagnoses: lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome, Lyme disease. Ultimately, none of those made sense and none of the treatments made me any better, until we put the pieces together and figured out that I was actually vaccine injured.
It's literally just a cause and effect. If you look back at my history and lay out my vaccine schedule, you can see that my health declined two weeks after I got the vaccines.
I had encephalitis and encephalopathy ... digestive issues, hypersomnia — sleeping 16 hours a day — flu-like symptoms, a 24/7 migraine, joint pain. I really had no life at all in my early 30s until I went on a gluten-free diet. That started my health recovery.
I then became an award-winning medical journalist with a bunch of different blogs, and then a health consultant. In 2018, I retired from all that and joined Children’s Health Defense.”
The COVID Jab Tragedy
While many vaccines have a questionable safety profile, especially when combined, data from the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) suggest there’s never been a vaccine as dangerous as the experimental mRNA gene transfer injections for COVID.
What’s more, while lack of transparency and accountability has been a chronic problem within the vaccine industry, the obvious hazards associated with vaccines are really being highlighted by the COVID jabs.
Many now know of someone who has been injured by the COVID jab, and most were injured so shortly after the shot that it’s hard to deny a correlation. The staggering number of injuries reported among adults who have received the COVID shot in turn highlights the insanity of rolling it out to young children.
According to Mayer, the reason they’re trying to mandate the COVID shot for children is to evade liability for injuries, because once a vaccine is on the childhood vaccination schedule, vaccine makers have immunity against lawsuits for injuries.
Vaccine Makers Want Zero Liability
The COVID shots currently have legal immunity against liability because they’re still under emergency use authorization (EUA). If you think BioNTech’s Comirnaty has been fully licensed, you’d be mistaken. Mayer explains:
“I put together a slide deck about Emergency Use Authorization (which you can see in the video interview above) because there is so much confusion over this and what's really going on. Once you understand the genesis of EUA and the standards they have to meet in order to keep these products on the market, then you understand the behaviors [we’re now seeing].
They’re falling all over themselves to protect the EUAs for these products and also introduce other very confusing kinds of approval to get away with stuff. So, let me just start to clarify it right now.
This presentation is all about these three strangleholds that the vaccine makers and our government are never going to let go of ... These are the things they're guarding with their lives.
First of all, they need to guard the emergency ... so they cannot have any early treatments. Those cannot exist. They're also going for full liability protection, and children will be used as pawns to get them full liability protection.
Vaccine makers love EUA products because they have this huge liability shield. If you're injured by an EUA vaccine, you can't sue the manufacturer, you can't sue the person who gave it to you, you can't sue the institution where you got the shot.
You have to go through something called the CICP, the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program, where they'll only cover unpaid medical expenses, and probably only for pharmaceuticals and lost wages.
Now, if you're vaccine injured, let me tell you right now, you are not going to be using pharmaceuticals because they do not work for vaccine injury. They will make you sicker. You'll be on two dozen pharmaceuticals before you know it and you're going to be sick from those. They do not work. The only thing that's going to get you better if you're vaccine injured is natural treatments ...
That's the kind of treatment you're going to need, and that's not even covered, even if you were to get compensation. Everybody I know with chronic illness, whether it's a child or an adult who has chronic fatigue syndrome, vaccine injury, Lyme disease, they're paying $50,000 out of pocket per year.
If you can't work and you have to pay for your treatment out of pocket, I don't know how you ever get by. People suffer like crazy, they lose homes, they go into bankruptcy.”
Since its inception, the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), which pays for injuries caused by vaccines on the childhood vaccination schedule, has paid out about one-third of claims. It’s a long, arduous process that oftentimes takes years and in the end rarely provides adequate compensation.
“If you do end up getting compensation ... they don't pay it out in one lump sum, they pay it out year by year, and they pretty much hope that whoever is injured is actually going to die of their injuries before they get compensated.
That's been said to me a bunch of times by people who've been through this horrible process. Now, the CICP has only compensated 3% of claims. And so far, there have been no approvals for [compensation] for COVID shot injuries,” Mayer says. [Editor’s note: The first COVID case was recently determined “eligible” for compensation, but the case has not yet been adjudicated.1]
Stages of Liability: EUA
In her slide show, Mayer reviews each of the stages of product liability, and whether the mRNA shots can be mandated. As mentioned, vaccine makers have no liability as long as their product is under EUA, as the product is investigational.
“Investigational is a synonym for experimental,” Mayer says. “And the word experimental ties it directly into the Nuremberg Code, which says that we cannot be experimented on [without consent]. We always have the right to accept or refuse a medical treatment.
[The Nuremberg Code] is not a law, but it's a code under which the whole world is supposed to be operating by. And it is actually codified into some local and federal laws as well ... So, what everybody needs to know is that coercion and duress are considered de facto mandates and illegal. De facto means that it's basically the same as an outright mandate.
It's illegal medical segregation, medical apartheid [because that is a form of coercion or duress.] So, if you go to a restaurant and they demand your vaccine passport, only let you eat outside, and they might not let you use the bathroom, that's medical segregation.
That is illegal and I do not support businesses that do that and you shouldn't either. Any access privileges that are different between the vaccinated and unvaccinated are illegal, and any visual indication of vaccine status like a sticker or a bracelet ... that's also illegal because that creates segregation and medical apartheid, [since they are all forms of coercion or duress.]”
Importantly, mass violation of the law does not make something legal.
“If we all drove 100 miles an hour on Interstate 80, would we watch the speed limit signs suddenly changed to 100 miles per hour? No, it's not going to happen. Mass violation of the law has never made anything legal. And just because schools and businesses and our government are mandating these shots, it doesn't make it legal. It's all illegal ...
Now, they know full well that it's illegal to mandate these [COVID shots]. President Biden knows it's illegal. But what they're counting on is that the court cases overturning their illegal mandates will take a while, and in that interim, people are going to be scared enough to get the shots. And unfortunately, it's worked.”
Stages of Liability: Full Licensure and Childhood Scheduling
The next stage is full licensure (FDA approval). Once a product is fully licensed, the company becomes liable for injuries. At that point, the product can be legally mandated. Of course, knowing how dangerous the COVID shots are, no manufacturer wants to be financially liable for injuries. They’d be sued out of business.
To get immunity against liability again, the vaccine manufacturers need to get their product onto the childhood vaccination schedule. This will also allow government to mandate the shots. As noted by Mayer:
“This is the holy grail if you're a vaccine manufacturer of a COVID vaccine right now. You want it to be fully licensed, but not put it on the market until you get it on the children's schedule.”
DOJ Redefines Medical ‘Consequence’
In Doe v. Rumsfeld,2 the court held that service members could refuse an EUA product without punitive consequences such as dishonorable discharge or other punishments. Therefore, there were no consequences to refusing an EUA product, other than the natural consequence of possibly getting the disease.
However, in July 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice attempted to redefine the term “consequences” just for the COVID shot, to suggest that punitive consequences, like job loss or being separated from your working or learning location, are legal when a person refuses an EUA vaccine.
“But this type of consequence, a punitive consequence, has never been adjudicated,” Mayer says. “That's not in any law. This is just an opinion from the DOJ. And it absolutely means nothing, except it came from our DOJ, so people give it a lot of authority.
They also stated twice — and this is so hard to understand because it's just beyond reason — that the right to accept or refuse an EUA product is 'purely informational.'
Literally, you can read that you could die by taking it, but it's purely informational. You cannot act on it. That's what the DOJ says. Again, it's not adjudicated, so it doesn't mean anything. It's an opinion. It holds no legal weight at all. So, as we said before, these mandates are starting to be overturned.”
Four Standards for EUA
There are four standards that must be fulfilled for an EUA. If any of these criteria are not met, EUA cannot be granted or maintained. First, the secretary of Health and Human Services has to declare and maintain a state of emergency. If the emergency were to go away, all EUA products would have to come off the market. And that doesn't just mean vaccines. It also includes the PCR tests and even surgical masks.
The second standard is evidence of effectiveness. Historically, vaccines had to show a 70% or greater effectiveness, as measured by a fourfold increase in antibody levels, in order to qualify. For an EUA vaccine, the efficacy threshold is only 30% to 50%. In another departure from prior vaccine approvals, the COVID vaccine clinical trials relied on the RT-PCR test, not antibodies, to demonstrate effectiveness in the small “challenge phase” of the trials.
Now, you probably heard that the Pfizer shot was 95% effective when it first rolled out, but that was relative risk reduction, not absolute risk reduction. Confounding these two parameters is a common strategy used to make a product sound far better than it actually is. The absolute risk reduction for Pfizer’s shot was just 0.84%.3
For example, if a study divided people into two groups of 1,000 and two people in the group who didn’t get a fictional vaccine got infected, while only one in the vaccinated group got infected, the relative risk reduction would be reported as 100%. In terms of absolute risk reduction, the fictional vaccine only prevented 1 in 1,000 from getting the infection — a very poor absolute risk reduction.
The take-home message here is that even though the minimal threshold for effectiveness is ludicrously low, in terms of absolute risk reduction, these shots still don’t measure up. Within six months, even the relative risk reduction bottoms out at zero. What’s more, there’s evidence that the clinical trials were manipulated as well.
“I remember an analysis very early in lockdowns [that showed] if you added back all the probable cases of COVID to the clinical trial [data], the effectiveness went from 90% to between 19% and 29%,”4 Mayer says.
The third standard is that the known and potential benefits of the product must outweigh the known and potential risks of the product. In the case of COVID shots, there’s overwhelming evidence showing they do more harm than good.
The fourth and last standard that must be met is there can be no adequate, approved and available alternative treatments (drugs or vaccines). “This is why hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin were quashed,” Mayer says. This is also another reason Comirnaty is not treated as a fully approved product in the U.S., because if it were, then all the other COVID shots that are under EUA would have to be removed from the market.
“This is a four-legged stool,” Mayer says. “If any one of these legs goes away, you have to take your EUA products off the market ... by law. I put [state of] emergency and [treatment] alternatives in red, because those are two of the things that they have a stranglehold on; those are things they are guarding like crazy.
This means that every variant that comes out, they have to make it sound super scary to keep the emergency going. So, the variants serve a purpose. You have to think about these variants in the context of this crime, where they have to keep the emergency going to keep their products on the market.
You would think this emergency would stop maybe when we get to herd immunity, maybe if we get 90% vaccination uptake, maybe COVID is just going to go away, like smallpox did in the early 1900s [even though] only 5% of people were vaccinated. [But it won’t] go away [until] the shots get full approval and the manufacturers get a full liability shield.”
Comirnaty’s Quasi Approval
With regard to Comirnaty, is it or is it not fully approved and licensed? The answer is more complex than a simple yes or no. Mayer explains:
“Comirnaty’s quasi approval is just for BioNTech. It doesn't have to do with Pfizer, and this is why I'm doing this presentation because I'm going to explain what’s going on with that.
This is the race to get liability protection. Remember, that's the other stranglehold that they want. They really want to get this liability protection. Once the COVID shots are fully approved, the manufacturer has full liability.
There's all this confusion about Comirnaty. Was it fully approved? Is it on the market? Is it interchangeable with the Pfizer shot? And does it make the COVID shot mandate legal? It's all the same answer. No, no, no, no.
The FDA issued an intentionally confusing biological license application approval for Comirnaty. It was an unprecedented approval to both license the Comirnaty shot, saying it's ‘interchangeable’ with the Pfizer shot. But they also said it's ‘legally distinct.’
In that same approval, they retain the vaccine’s liability shield by designating it EUA as well. They want it to be fully approved, but they want the liability protection, so they did this BS dual approval.
So, [Comirnaty] is licensed to be manufactured, introduced into state commerce and marketed, but it's not licensed to be given to anyone, and it's not available in the United States. It's available in the U.K., New Zealand and other places, but it is not available in the United States because they're really scared of liability.
Now, are you ready for this one? The BLAactually states that Comirnaty is only ‘ready for approval.’5 It doesn’t say it's approved anywhere in the document. And they buried this language in a pediatric section to confuse people even more.
Here's what they said; ‘We're deferring submission of your pediatric studies for ages younger than 16. For this application, because this product is ready for approval for use in individuals 16 years of age and older, as pediatric studies for younger ages have not been completed.’
Why did they do this? Sixteen is a very important number. You would think the age break would be 18. That's a very typical age break for everything else that we do in this country. Why 16?
The reason they did 16 is because 16- and 17-year-olds are still on the children's vaccination schedule. And then the manufacturer gets full liability protection. That's why this is ready to be approved for 16 and up, not 18 and up.”
Comirnaty Is Not Fully Licensed
This confusion is clearly intentional. On the one hand, the FDA claims Comirnaty is interchangeable with the Pfizer shot, yet it's also legally distinct. Courts have had to weigh in on the matter, and a federal judge recently rejected the DoD claim that the two shots are interchangeable. They're not interchangeable. That means Comirnaty vaccine is still EUA. It doesn't have full approval and it's not on the market.
“Military members involved in lawsuits are challenging the military's COVID vaccine mandate. They filed an amended complaint seeking a new injunction after the judge last month rejected the assertion that the Pfizer COVID shot and BioNTech’s Comirnaty are interchangeable. So, we're still hammering on this legally, but a court has ruled that they're not interchangeable.
[Editor’s note: This information is accurate at the time of the interview, but legal challenges are ongoing and courts may issue new rulings. December 22, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court announced6 it has slated January 7, 2022, to hear arguments challenging Biden’s vaccine and testing mandates.]
So, how do we know that Comirnaty is not being treated as fully approved? First, the approval states you have the right to accept or refuse the product. That means it's an EUA. Second, it’s not available in the U.S. because Comirnaty doesn't have liability protection. Third, if it were available, it's an alternative [treatment] and all other EUA shots would have to come off the market.
No. 4, the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) would have to recommend it for ages 16 to 18 and the CDC would have added it to the children's recommended schedule. That's how we know it's not fully approved and on the market.
Here is the label for Comirnaty. It says it's emergency use authorization. It doesn't say it's fully approved, because it's not. But look at the safety information they are recognizing: Myocarditis and pericarditis have occurred in some people who've received the vaccine, more commonly in males under 40 years of age than among females and older males.
So, this is saying that young men are getting heart inflammation. And what we know from all the anecdotal reports is 300 athletes have died or collapsed on the field, and children in schools have died of heart attacks. That's what's going on here.
And the reason they have to declare this is because they know it. They know it's happening. And the only way they can be sued is if they know there's a problem with their vaccine and they don't declare it. So, they declare it here, in very mild language as if it's not that big of a deal, but it's a very big deal. Young people are dying [from the shots] who have a 99.9973% chance of recovering from COVID ...
The holy grail is to get the shot on the CDC recommended schedule for children, because then it gets full liability protection according to the 1986 Act. This is why they're going after our children when they have a 99.9973% recovery rate ...
Every medical intervention is a risk benefit equation, and it doesn't calculate for kids at all. They should never be getting COVID shots. The shots don't prevent transmission. They don't prevent cases. They don't prevent hospitalization or death.”
How You Can Help
Children’s Health Defense has sued the FDA over the approval of Comirnaty, alleging that this is a “bait and switch” to convince people they are receiving a licensed vaccine, when in fact they are getting an EUA vaccine that cannot be lawfully mandated. Unfortunately, these kinds of legal cases can take a long time, and children are being needlessly harmed while we wait for legal clarification.
They also have a couple dozen other legal cases underway. If you want to help, please sign up to become a member on childrenshealthdefense.org. It’s only $10 for a lifetime membership.
This book is an absolute must-read and you know people are enjoying it as it has been No. 1 on Amazon for the last month, which is very unusual for a book. It will likely be one of the top best sellers of the entire year. So, get your copy before Sen. Elizabeth Warren convinces Amazon to ban it!
