A healthier diet is linked to much better COVID-19 outcomes among patients, a new study has found.
The study, conducted by researchers in the US and UK, found that participants with the healthiest diets were nine per cent less likely to develop the disease and 41 per cent less likely to suffer severe symptoms if they did.
Researchers examined data from 592,571 participants who were recruited in the US and UK between March 24, 2020 and Dec. 2, 2020.
In follow-up research, 31,831 participants were found to have developed COVID-19.
The study assessed the quality of participants’ diets using a tool that emphasizes plant-based foods such as fruits and vegetables.
“Although we cannot emphasize enough the importance of getting vaccinated and wearing a mask in crowded indoor settings, our study suggests that individuals can also potentially reduce their risk of getting COVID-19 or having poor outcomes by paying attention to their diet,” said co-senior author Andrew Chan.
Lead author Jordi Merino said the study accounted for other healthy behaviours, social determinants of health, and local transmission rates.
The research also found a “synergistic relationship” between poor diet and socioeconomic deprivation.
“Our models estimate that nearly a third of COVID-19 cases would have been prevented if one of two exposures — diet or deprivation — were not present,” said Merino.
He added: “Our findings are a call to governments and stakeholders to prioritize healthy diets and wellbeing with impactful policies, otherwise we risk losing decades of economic progress and a substantial increase in health disparities.”
