> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foodconsumer.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Zinc, selenium supplements help prevent influenza infection in elderly people
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/zinc_selenium_supplements_influenza_1122130759/
- Published: 2013-11-22T20:58:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:18:45.000Z
- Description: In a two-year French trial of 725 nursing home residents over 65, those given low-dose zinc and selenium showed higher antibody titers after flu vaccination and fewer respiratory infections; vitamin takers had lower titers. Neither changed urogenital infections or two-year survival.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Minerals, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

Friday Nov 22, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- A study in Archives of Internal Medicine shows that elderly people who received flu vaccine had better immunity against flu infection if they also took zinc and selenium supplements.

This clinical trial conducted by François Girodon, MD, PhD and colleagues tested two groups of supplements, trace elements including zinc sulfate and selenium sulfide, and vitamins including beta carotene, ascorbic acid and vitamin E for their effects on the immunity and incidence of infections in institutionalized elderly people.

The trial involved 725 elderly patients older than 65 years who resided in 25 geriatric centers in France. For the trial, nutritional doses of trace elements or vitamins or placebo were taken orally by patients everyday for two years.

Antibody titers triggered by influenza vaccine were found higher in groups that received zinc and selenium supplements alone or associated with vitamins while vitamin use was associated with significantly lower antibody titers. 

More patients who took zinc and selenium supplements had not respiratory tract infection during the study, compared with those who took placebo.

Neither trace elements zinc and selenium nor vitamins reduced incidence of urogenital infections and supplementation with these trace elements and vitamins did not make any difference in the 2-year survival.

The researchers concluded "Low-dose supplementation of zinc and selenium provides significant improvement in elderly patients by increasing the humoral response after vaccination and could have considerable public health importance by reducing morbidity from respiratory tract infections."

It should be pointed out that the doses used in this study were lower. High beta-carotene and vitamin E can be dangerous, but high doses of vitamin C are not only safe, but also effective in helping prevent and treat flu infections. Early research indicated that vitamin C is better than Tamiflu at treating flu and colds.

According to Vitamin D Council, high doses of vitamin D (2000 to 5000 IU per day) are highly effective in preventing flu and colds. In a newsletter sent by the not-for-profit organization, two physicians said their patients taking high doses of vitamin D rarely contracted flu or flu-like illness.(David Liu, PHD)