Some people who get COVID-19 lose their sense of smell, even after recovering from the illness. A study from 2017 suggested that vitamin A drops used in the nose might help with smell loss. Further research also looked at this possibility. Now a larger study has investigated this possible treatment using a double-blind trial, known as the Apollo Trial.
The trial looked at two groups of patients who used nasal drops every day for 12 weeks. One group received vitamin A drops, while the second group used plain peanut oil drops as a placebo. Neither the patients nor the doctors knew who was getting which drops, which makes the experiment fairer. They tested 57 people in total. Note that the placebo used in this trial was peanut oil. If you have a peanut allergy, speak to your doctor before considering any nasal oil drops.
The scientists checked several things before and after the 12 weeks, including:
- olfactory bulb volume
- how well participants could identify, tell apart, and detect smells
- the function of one part of the brain involved in understanding smell
- how the patients felt about their condition
After 12 weeks, the results showed that vitamin A made little difference to people’s sense of smell. The only small improvement was that people using vitamin A felt slightly better about their quality of life.
The scientists concluded that vitamin A nose drops are probably not an effective treatment for smell loss after COVID-19. They say more research is needed to find something that actually works, and they would also like to study people who lost their sense of smell from other causes, not just COVID-19.
Key Takeaway
The Apollo Trial found that vitamin A nasal drops did not significantly improve smell loss after COVID-19. While they appeared safe to use, they showed no meaningful benefit across most of the measures tested. Research into effective treatments for smell loss continues.
