EATING FOR INFLAMMATION
People are wondering "Is COVID even still a thing?", and the answer is "Yes it is" - 238,000 global reported cases in August 2024 - , but the info below is probably relevant for any virus, and your health in general.
Recent research corroborated the link between healthy eating and its positive impact on COVID...
A healthy diet has long been hailed by some experts as one potentially important factor influencing the risk of Covid-19, or how bad someone’s case gets.
But a team of researchers in Indonesia looked into how a specific lifestyle might affect these odds — finding that following the Mediterranean diet may reduce your risk of getting Covid-19, according to a review published in the journal PLOS One on 21 August 2024.
“There have been numerous studies that heavily associated COVID-19 with inflammation (in the body), while the Mediterranean diet has been long-known for its anti-inflammatory properties,” said the review’s senior author Andre Siahaan, a lecturer and member of the Center of Evidence-Based Medicine at the University of North Sumatra in Indonesia, via email. “Through our study, we reported a link that further strengthened the connection between these two, in line with our hypothesis.”
Inflammation has been associated with both the development and severity of Covid-19.
To investigate whether the risk of infection and severity may be alleviated by the Mediterranean diet, the team reviewed six studies with more than 55,400 participants total across five countries and were published between 2020 and 2023. Participants reported their adherence to the Mediterranean diet using questionnaires.
Across all these studies, participants following the Mediterranean diet had a lower risk of infection — which can’t be reliably quantified into a specific number partly due to the variance in significance across studies, Siahaan said.
Among the food categories measured in some studies, higher consumption of olive oil, fruit and nuts; lower consumption of cereal and red meat; and moderate intake of alcohol were associated with a lower risk of coronavirus infection. Eating more vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, fish and whole grains was linked with lower odds of severe Covid-19.
IMPROVING DIET FOR DISEASE RISK
While short-term dietary changes may have a limited impact on the risk of Covid-19, the long-term benefits of a sustained healthy diet could be larger, Merino said. “These foods are rich in antioxidants, fibre and micronutrients that enhance immune function and may help boost our natural microbiome and reduce inflammation,” said Dr. Sara Seidelmann, assistant professor of clinical medicine at the Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons.
The Mediterranean diet has also been found to be helpful for reducing the risk or severity of heart disease, stroke, dementia, breast cancer, high cholesterol, memory loss, depression and more.
“We are aware that changing someone’s diet may not be easy, however, slowly adjusting and incorporating the Mediterranean diet elements one by one into your life would be a good idea,” said Siahaan.
Those include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, fish and olive oil while reducing red meats and processed foods, Seidelmann said.
To back this up, a new scientific review published in Nutrients examines how diet influences aging, highlighting its crucial role in contributing to both longevity and healthspan. The findings suggest that dietary patterns such as the Mediterranean Diet and caloric restriction / intermittent fasting may support healthy aging by influencing critical pathways in the body, including those related to cellular repair, inflammation, and metabolic regulation.
Ultimately, the experts agree that promoting healthy aging requires a comprehensive approach. This includes dietary changes, regular exercise, stress management, and fostering social connections.