Coffee and a large portion of fresh vegetables daily have been found helpful against the deadly covid-19, according to a new study. The study authors state that it is the first time ever that a study has used the population data to find out how dietary changes can help saving from the covid-19. The complete study findings are now published in the journal Nutrients.
The dietary habits of a person say a lot about his immunity and there is no doubt about that. But it is probably the first time that this same link was studied between the risk of covid-19 and certain foods i.e., coffee and fresh vegetables. Because of its link with immunity, the body would show a better response to battling the virus if exposed. The study further added that breastfed also offers some benefits along with cutting the processed meats from the diet.
Also read- UK Decided Not To Give Covid-19 Vaccine to the Children
These new dietary guidelines also indicate that the viral spread can be controlled in simple ways, reducing the burden on medicines and the healthcare system. One way that people can save themselves to be a victim of chronic covid-19 is by adding coffee and vegetables to their diet, in any form.
At least one cup of coffee on a daily basis cuts down the risk of getting exposed to the virus by 10%. Taking nearly 0.67 servings of the vegetables in any form, raw, cooked, or baked also lowers the risk of being sick. It is true for all vegetables except potatoes. Breastfeeding reduces this risk by 10% and processed meats of 0.43 servings or more reportedly increased this risk.
While the study highlights the significance of dietary changes, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) urges vaccination to be the best possible way to save yourself from the virus. According to CDC, Covid-19 vaccines help to build immunity against the deadly virus and also lower the chance of transmitting the virus to healthy people.
Most studies on Covid-19 are based on various independent factors that were checked in covid-19 positive patients. others with low immunity or existing medical conditions are expected to suffer from even more severe symptoms and fate if exposed to the virus. Despite showing a direct linkage, there is less focus on the dietary changes and recommendations to prevent the disease.
Dr. Thanh-Huyen Vu from the Medicine department at Northwestern is the first author of this study. He is aiming to determine how these specific dietary patterns can change the respiratory infections including covid-19.
There is no information for now, on how dietary factors change the Covid-19 progression and transmission. coffee has a high amount of caffeine in it but it also has various other components that have proven medicinal benefits.
Also read- New Insights On Hep C ‘Silent Killer’ Virus
The study used the data from UK BioBank used to find the association of the dietary changes from 2006 to 2010 compared with data collected in March to Dec 2020, the peak time of the Covid-19 pandemic.
They studied the dietary factors, based on the self-reported information about consuming coffee, fruits, vegetables, meats, and fats. Among the total of 37,988 participants, nearly 17% were tested positive.
This study is observational which somehow limits its impact. To know more about how this association works, deeper studies are necessary.
