Fact Check: Supplements With Oil-Based Formula Do NOT Reverse Effects Of COVID-19 Vaccines

Can lipid-based supplements reverse the effects of COVID-19 vaccines by “communicating with the gene code”? No, that’s not true: Two medical specialists told Lead Stories the claim is not grounded in facts. The Instagram account that made the claim promoted drops made by an unknown manufacturer.

The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on Instagram on January 24, 2024. Its caption stated:

… Lipid based supplements communicate with the with the Gene code , The CODON AUG Methionine is what’s causing the problems , you have to use a lipid based formula become the vax is lipid based , That’s why we use coconut oil , ‼️if you are a scientist you understand exactly what I’m taking about.

The man in the video said:

Lipid-based formulas are essential because they’re hydrophobic and they bypass the cell membrane. This is not something you could just detox — you have to correct those gene codes. This is genetic warfare.

This is what it looked like on Instagram at the time of writing:

(Source: Instagram screenshot taken on Thu Jan 25 16:58:02 2024 UTC)

The video, which began with other speculations about COVID vaccines, implied that oil-based supplements in general and a particular item that appeared on the screen above the host were capable of “reversing” the effects of the coronavirus vaccines.

However, that claim is not supported by science.

Dr. Amesh Adalja, M.D., a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security specializing in emerging infectious disease, pandemic preparedness and biosecurity, told Lead Stories via email on January 25, 2024:

This is complete nonsense. There is not any substance that can reverse the beneficial impacts of a Covid vaccination.

Dr. Stanley Perlman, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Iowa whose area of expertise is coronaviruses, also refuted the claim via email on the same day:

There is so much misinformation in this story. The simplest answers to your questions are no and no.

Answering a follow-up question, he added:

The notion that lipid-based supplements communicate with the genetic code has no basis in reality.

The claim appears to have been built on a rumor alleging that COVID vaccines can somehow change a person’s DNA, a myth that has been widely debunked.

Both messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein subunit COVID-19 vaccines work by delivering instructions (genetic material) to your cells to start building protection against the virus that causes COVID-19.

After the body produces an immune response, it gets rid of all the vaccine ingredients just as it would get rid of any information that cells no longer need. This process is a part of normal body functioning.

The genetic material delivered by mRNA vaccines never enters the nucleus of your cells, which is where your DNA is kept, so the vaccine does not alter your DNA.

(Source: Instagram screenshot taken on Thu Jan 25 22:18:32 2024)

Other Lead Stories fact checks about COVID-19 can be found here.