Researchers find Corona weak point: These foods are said to increase protection against viruses - "Assume that ..."

Scientists from the USA have recognized an enzyme as a weak point in the coronavirus.

Certain foods are said to have positive ingredients.

• A study brings new knowledge about the coronavirus * and its spread in the body.

• A protease (an enzyme) of the virus plays a central role in this.

• Certain ingredients of food can apparently deactivate this.

Munich / North Carolina - The developments related to the corona vaccine are being followed.

In Germany, the number of new infections remains at a high level, and a “hard lockdown” is in sight.

Meanwhile, researchers from the

are said to

have found a weak point in the virus: ingredients of

and

.

Corona study: enzyme of the virus as a weak point

The results of a

from

cause a stir.

Apparently, certain foods should be able to help against the spread of the coronavirus in the body.

The study by the two researchers Yue Zhu and De-Yu Xie was published in the journal

.

As a result, chemical ingredients in foods or beverages such as

and

bind or dock to an enzyme or a protease in the coronavirus * and block its function.

The starting point of the study was that the ingredients of some plants, such as the cocoa plant, have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

De-Yu Xie is quoted in a press release as saying that proteases are important for the health and viability of cells and viruses.

The weak point of the coronavirus * is therefore the

.

This has an important function, as Xie explained: “Mpro in Sars-CoV-2 is necessary for the virus to replicate and assemble.

If we can occupy or deactivate this protease, the virus dies. "

Coronavirus: increased protection from green tea and muscadine grapes?

- "Assume, ..."

Computer simulations have shown that chemical ingredients from green tea, varieties of Muscadine grapes, cocoa and dark chocolate can dock onto different parts of the protease.

As a result, the protease lost its important function.

Laboratory experiments are said to have produced similar results.

The chemicals in

and

"very successful" in deactivating the protease

.

Ingredients of

and

are said to have reduced the productivity of the protease by half *, as reported by fr.de.

As the researchers finally wrote in their study, these substances have not been tested for their efficiency when used on humans and animals.

Nevertheless, they dared to look ahead: "We assume that increased consumption of these common products can improve protection against Sars-CoV-2." However, this assumption is only based on the tests in the test tube and has

For example, it also remains unclear how high the consumption of the products should actually be.

List of rubric lists: © Sven Hoppe / dpa / PictureAlliance