The development and outcomes of the COVID-19 disease correlate with the type of nutrition

Abstract

Aim. Analyze the role of diet in the process of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and identify factors that correlate with a decrease in the pathogenic consequences of the COVID-19 disease. Materials and methods. The information and data required for this review were found in scientific publications and the media available on the Internet, as well as obtained from statistical databases using specific keywords, both for a single tag, and in various combinations of them. Statistical samples were managed from sources and facts available on the Internet. Results and discussion. The relationship between nutritional factors and the impact of the 15-month COVID-19 pandemic in different regions was investigated using various available statistics for five continents and 47 countries. A clear relationship was found between the prevalence of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic and the amount of food consumed, with correlations in the negative range r = -0.98 and r = -0.66 for plant proteins and with a correlation coefficient r = 0.92 for animal proteins. Also, excessive sugar consumption increases the severity of COVID-19 with correlation coefficients in the range of r = 0.99-0.72. Conclusions. Quantitative analysis of statistical data and an assessment of nutritional factors during the development of a 15-month pandemic in various regions showed that the severity of the infectious process of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the COVID-19 disease was aggravated by excessive consumption of sugar, fat and total protein. The number of people infected with the virus or deaths from COVID-19 per 100,000 inhabitants was radically lower in regions where more plant foods were consumed than products of animal origin.