Plant-based diet and COVID-19 severity: results from a cross-sectional study.
Samira SoltaniehMarieh SalavatizadehTooba GhazanfariSoodeh Razeghi JahromiZahra YariMohammad Ali MansourniaMaryam NazemipourJalil Arab KheradmandSussan K ArdestaniSara KarimiAzita HekmatdoostPublished in: BMJ nutrition, prevention & health (2023)
Although previous findings have shown the beneficial role of healthy eating pattern on the human immune system, the association between plant-based diet and COVID-19 severity has not yet been elucidated. This study aimed to determine the possible role of plant-based diet index (PDI) in COVID-19 severity. This cross-sectional, multicentral study was conducted on 141 patients with confirmed COVID-19. Dietary intakes of the patients were evaluated using a validated food frequency questionnaire. Then, PDI was compared between patients who needed to be hospitalised (considered severe cases), and those who got treatment at home (considered non-severe cases). After adjustment for confounders including age, sex, energy intake and body mass index, lower odds of hospitalisation were found for participants having a greater score of overall PDI (OR per 10 units increase: 0.42; 95% CI 0.22 to 0.80) and healthy PDI (OR per 10 unit increase: 0.45; 95% CI 0.26 to 0.78). In conclusion, our data presented that there is a relation between PDI and lower risk of hospitalisation in COVID-19 patients, possibly through boosting the immune function.
Keyphrases
- sars cov
- coronavirus disease
- physical activity
- weight loss
- body mass index
- cross sectional
- end stage renal disease
- endothelial cells
- respiratory syndrome coronavirus
- ejection fraction
- chronic kidney disease
- early onset
- weight gain
- patient reported outcomes
- peritoneal dialysis
- machine learning
- electronic health record
- risk factors
- induced pluripotent stem cells
- smoking cessation