Does eating healthy prevent people from getting, dying from COVID?

• Author: Walla!
• Published date: 24 September 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

A new study from Boston published in the journal Gut reports that consuming healthy food like produce may lower the risk of contracting the virus, in addition to lowering the severity of symptoms if one is infected. Although doctors have stated that metabolic conditions including obesity and type 2 diabetes can cause severe coronavirus complications, this study is among the first to add nutrition to the equation.

Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston added that the effect of diet on COVID-19 risk, as well as on the severity of symptoms is particularly strong among those living in weakened socio-economic areas. Previous reports suggest that poor nutrition is a widespread trait among groups disproportionately affected by the epidemic, but data on the link between diet and the risk of getting the virus and then developing severe symptoms is lacking, said study editor Jordi Marino, a doctoral student and instructor at Harvard Medical School, in a press release.

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The research team analyzed data collected on 592,571 people from the United States and United Kingdom between March and December 2020. Each participant completed a survey of their dietary habits, with study authors scoring people's "diet quality," with an emphasis on fruit and vegetable consumption.

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During the follow-up period, 31,831 participants developed COVID-19. The findings showed that people who had a healthier diet had a 9% lower risk of contracting the virus compared to people who ate a poorer diet...