A major report in the US in May 2021 revealed diet plays a major part in reducing the severity of symptoms and illness following a Covid-19 infection.
Researchers drew on the survey responses of 2884 frontline doctors and nurses with extensive exposure to SARS-CO-v2, the virus responsible for COVID-19 infection, working in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US.
A plant based diet (vegan) lowered the odds of a severe disease by 73% compared to those who did not have any dietary disciplines.
The researchers invited clinicians at high risk of Covid-19 infection as a result of their jobs.
“Our results suggest that a healthy diet rich in nutrient dense foods may be considered for protection against severe COVID-19,” they conclude.
People mindful of the benefits of a plant based diet offers much protection against Covid-19.
A plant based diet consists of vegetables, fruits, legumes and nuts excluding fish, poultry, processed meat and red meat.
Some 568 respondents (cases) said they had had symptoms consistent with COVID-19 infection or no symptoms but a positive swab test for the infection. 2316 said they hadn’t had any symptoms/tested positive (comparison group).
After factoring age, ethnicity, medical specialty, and lifestyle (smoking, physical activity), those who ate a plant-based has 73% lower odds of moderate to severe COVID-19 infection compared with those who didn’t have these dietary patterns. Researchers said a plant based diet is rich in vitamins and minerals which develop a healthy immune system.
A high quality diet supports an adequate immune response, which in turn can influence susceptibility to infection and its severity.”
The new study, published in BMJ Nutrition, Prevention and Health examined data from healthcare workers across six countries including the UK.
Tick box at very foot of blog to be notified of new posts by email.
www.christophertitmuss.net
Article in the British Medical Journal
https://nutrition.bmj.com/content/early/2021/05/18/bmjnph-2021-000272
Food shelf at home. Left to right
Brown Basmati rice, organic lentils, muesli with nuts/raisins, soya chunks,
mixed nuts, dried fruit, rolled oats for porridge/oat milk,
turmeric powder, garam masala.
Soya chunks are a fine source of protein.
Meat has fat and percentage of protein lost in cooking.
Place chunks in boiling water for a few minutes. Wash in cold water.
Place in filter bag to squeeze out water, add to veg and spices.