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A recent study has revealed eating a plant-based diet rich in whole foods can help protect against COVID-19.
And the staggering results indicate those on a ‘high quality’ healthy vegan diet were both less likely to catch the virus, and less likely to be hospitalized with it.
Whole food plant-based diet
Top researchers at Havard Medical School and King’s College London collated data from almost 600,000 individuals.
They asked respondents to fill in a detailed questionnaire about what they ate before and during the pandemic.
Then, researchers formed a ‘diet quality score’ from the overall nutritional value of what they typically eat.
Those with a high-quality score contained swathes of plant-based whole foods from fruits and vegetables to whole grains. Moreover, the best-rated diets contained fewer processed foods and refined carbohydrates.
The low-quality diets were consistent with a stronger risk of developing COVID-19. ‘This is the first time that diet has been shown to reduce the risk of developing the disease’, they claim.
COVID-19 study
The study was part of the ZOE COVID Symptom Study app, a non-profit scheme that aids COVID-19 research.
It proclaims itself as the largest ongoing study of the disease, working closely with King’s College London.
Disease severity
Another recent study also found the vegan diets can slash COVID-19 severity. It tracked healthcare workers across six countries who had been ‘substantially’ exposed to the virus.
Published in the BMJ, it similarly assessed the link between diets and the disease.
Those on a plant-based diet had 73 percent lower odds of developing moderate to severe COVID-19 severity.
However, those following ‘low carbohydrate, high protein diets’ had greater odds of moderate-to-severe COVID-19.
