COVID-19 Diet : What We Know

A lot has been written about what we can do to protect ourselves against COVID-19.  They include social distancing (minimum of 6 feet apart), face masks (to be used in public/indoor locations) and hand washing (soap & water for 20 seconds),  This blog will focus on what we know about the role of diet and supplements in fighting COVID-19.

What We Know:  If you are otherwise healthy (you don’t smoke/vape, have normal weight, blood pressure, glucose), manage day-to-day stressors, sleep restfully, consume a healthy diet (primarily plant-based) and exercise with a 15-30 minute exposure to sunshine daily,  the likelihood of experiencing a serious COVID-19 complication is very low (less than 5%).  Given your healthy status and lifestyle, there is no evidence that adding any supplements or “superfoods” will add additional protection against risk of contracting COVID-19.

However, if you are at increased risk of COVID-19 complications, lifestyle changes may help to reduce risk.  This includes weight reduction for those who are overweight, hypertensive and diabetic (see my previous blog entitled:  Tips to Increase Sleep & Lose Weight. A host of other dietary recommendations can be found in “Heal Your Heart” (see below).

Vitamin D Supplementation:  If you have low blood levels of Vitamin D (less than 12 ng/mL), not only does your risk for bone fractures increase but research now suggests that you are also at higher risk of COVID-19 complications  with some  now recommending high dose Vitamin D supplementation,  If you do not know your Vitamin D level, ask your health care provider to have it checked and discuss whether Vitamin D supplementation may be appropriate for you.

Foods Enriched in Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Vitamins and Minerals:  If your diet is lacking these important nutrients, check out this Table as an excellent resource of high quality foods to help bolster your immune system.  This is especially important because lacking these key nutrients increases susceptibility to a wide array of infections, including COVID-19.

Michael Miller, MD is Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, Epidemiology & Public Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland USA with services on the Nutrition Council, American Heart Association and Nutrition Workgroup, American College of Cardiology.  His latest book,  “Heal Your Heart: The Positive Emotions Prescription to Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease” is published by Penguin Random House.