A Vegan Diet Reduces Severe COVID-19 Symptoms Up to 73 Percent, New Study Finds

People who comply with a plant-based food regimen are 73 p.c much less more likely to expertise moderate-to-severe COVID-19 signs, in accordance with a brand new study printed by scientific journal BMJ Diet Prevention & Well being. The examine concerned 2,884 frontline healthcare employees from six international locations—together with France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, and america—568 of whom had been contaminated with COVID-19. The goal of the examine was to research the affiliation between dietary patterns and COVID-19, together with severity of signs and period of sickness. 

Between July and September 2020, the members supplied data on demographic traits, medical historical past, life-style, and COVID-19 signs, and a 47-item meals frequency questionnaire. Individuals had 11 decisions: entire meals, plant-based food regimen; keto food regimen; vegetarian food regimen; Mediterranean food regimen; pescatarian food regimen; Palaeolithic food regimen; low-fat food regimen; low-carbohydrate food regimen; high-protein food regimen; different; or not one of the above. 

Examine findings

Among the many 568 instances, 138 people had moderate-to-severe COVID-19 severity and 430 people had very delicate to delicate COVID-19 severity. Individuals who reported following plant-based diets, together with a vegetarian food regimen, had 73 p.c decrease odds of moderate-to-severe signs, and people who reported following a pescatarian food regimen had 59 p.c decrease odds, in comparison with those that didn’t comply with these diets. In contrast with members who reported following plant-based diets, those that reported following low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets, equivalent to keto or paleo, that are usually excessive in animal-based protein, had been nearly 4 occasions extra more likely to expertise a moderate-to-severe type of COVID-19.

Amongst COVID-19 instances, people who reported following plant-based diets consumed extra greens, fruit, and plant proteins equivalent to legumes and nuts. The examine authors defined that these meals provide essential nutritional vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help the immune system and decrease the danger of respiratory infections. “In six international locations, plant-based diets or pescatarian diets had been related to decrease odds of moderate-to-severe COVID-19. These dietary patterns could also be thought-about for cover towards extreme COVID-19,” the examine concluded.

Plant-based diets help immune perform

Although healthcare employees and different people are being, or have already got, been vaccinated in lots of international locations at the moment, the emergence of recent variants and challenges in accessing COVID-10 vaccines globally is essential to think about, so understanding the danger elements related to virus susceptibility in people may assist the event of supportive methods for shielding employees now and sooner or later.