Plant-Based Diet may Reduce the Risk of COVID-19

“Previous reports suggest that poor nutrition is a common feature among groups disproportionately affected by the pandemic, but data on the association between diet and COVID-19 risk and severity are lacking,” says lead author Jordi Merino, Ph.D., a research associate at the Diabetes Unit and Center for Genomic Medicine at MGH and an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. Study Data The study team examined data on 592,571 participants of the smartphone-based COVID-19 Symptom Study living in the UK and the US between March 24, 2020 to December 2, 2020.

The diet questionnaires were completed by the participants using a healthful Plant-Based Diet Score that emphasizes healthy plant foods such as fruits and vegetables. Almost 31,831 participants were found to develop COVID-19 during the follow-up.

Participants in the highest quartile had a 9% lower risk of developing COVID-19 and a 41% lower risk of developing severe COVID-19 when compared with individuals in the lowest quartile of the diet score.

What the Study Tells

“Although we cannot emphasize enough the importance of getting vaccinated and wearing a mask in crowded indoor settings, our study suggests that individuals can also potentially reduce their risk of getting COVID-19 or having poor outcomes by paying attention to their diet,” says co-senior author Andrew Chan, MD, MPH, a gastroenterologist and chief of the Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit at MGH.

Moreover, the team also found a synergistic relationship between poor diet and increased socioeconomic deprivation with COVID-19 risk. This relationship had a higher risk than the sum of the individual risk associated with each factor.

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Benefits of Plant-based Diet and COVID-19

Earlier studies report that plant-based foods are rich in nutrients, like phytochemicals, macronutrients, micro-nutrients, antioxidants, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. These nutrients are vital to one’s immune system and its proper functioning.

The nutritional content of plant-based food also enhances the absorption of other nutrients from food and helps eliminate the risk of various other chronic illnesses and infectious diseases.

The study thereby emphasizes the fact that almost one-third of COVID-19 cases might have been prevented if one of two exposures – diet or deprivation were absent.

Need for Intervention

The study also motivates the implementation of public health strategies in improving access to healthy foods.

Further to this, the team also seeks for addressal of social determinants of health that would in turn help curb the burden of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our findings are a call to governments and stakeholders to prioritize healthy diets and wellbeing with impactful policies, otherwise we risk losing decades of economic progress and a substantial increase in health disparities,” says Merino.

Nutrition Tips during COVID-19

• Proper nutrition with hydration is key to a healthy body. With the growing dangers of COVID-19, one can ensure a proper dietary plan and hygiene measures to keep coronavirus at bay.
• Eat a well-balanced diet for a stronger immune system.
• Avoid processed foods, sugar, fat, salt, soft drinks or sodas, and other drinks.
• Always consume the food fresh.
• One may include 2 cups of fruits, 2.5 cups of vegetables, 180 g of whole grains (e.g. unprocessed maize, millet, oats, wheat, brown rice or starchy tubers or roots such as potato, yam, taro, or cassava), legumes (e.g. lentils, beans), and nuts for a healthy diet.
• To avoid cravings, one can even snack on raw vegetables and fresh fruit rather than junk.
• Limit the usage of oils in food.
• Ensure plenty of water almost 2-3 liters every day.
• Wash your hands for 20 seconds before eating.
• With the above measures, it is also equally mandatory to follow COVID-19-appropriate measures of hygiene.

References:

1. Nutrition advice for adults during the COVID-19 outbreak – (http://www.emro.who.int/nutrition/news/nutrition-advice-for-adults-during-the-covid-19-outbreak.html)
2. Plant-based diets, pescatarian diets and COVID-19 severity: a population-based case-control study in six countries – (https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/early/2021/05/18/bmjnph-2021-000272)
3. Easy, affordable and healthy eating tips during COVID-19 – (https://www.unicef.org/coronavirus/easy-affordable-and-healthy-eating-tips-during-coronavirus-disease-covid-19-outbreak)

Source: Medindia