A study has shown that a vegetarian diet that consumes no meat, dairy or fish, also known as veganism, prevents people from contracting COVID-19.
A research team from the University Hospital of São Paulo in Brazil reported in the British Medical Association Journal (BMJ Nutrition Prevention and Health) that, as a result of comparing the group following the regular diet and the group following the vegetarian diet, the incidence of COVID-19 was significantly lower in the vegetarian diet group.
Studies so far have shown that there have been fewer COVID-19 deaths in Okinawa, Japan, than in the West, and fewer COVID-19 infections and deaths in sub-Saharan Africa than in the United States and Europe.
Although their geopolitical and socioeconomic contexts are different, they have one thing in common: eating mostly vegetarian meals. However, so far, there have been few reports on the impact of dietary patterns on the prevention and development of COVID-19.
The subjects of this study were 702 people who responded to socio-demographic data, lifestyle habits, medical history, eating patterns and eating habits. They were divided into the regular diet group (424 people) and the vegetarian diet group (278 people).
The vegetarian diet group is divided into flexitarians and semi-vegetarians (who eat meat less than 3 times a week), lacto-vegetarians (who eat plant and animal-based foods such as milk and dairy products), and vegans, and these are divided into flexible group (87 people) and the rest were classified into vegetarians (191 people).
No significant differences were found in gender, age, vaccination and degree of isolation between the two groups of subjects. Regarding the level of education, there were many more high school graduates in the group following the vegetarian diet. There were no differences in vaccination, quarantine restrictions, or smoking status between the two groups.
As a result of examining the relationship between meal type and the incidence and severity of COVID-19, the incidence of COVID-19 was significantly lower in the vegetarian diet group. Even after adjusting the variables, the same results were obtained.
The risk of developing COVID-19 in the vegetarian and flexitarian groups was similar. However, no significant difference in severity was found between the vegetarian diet group, the vegetarian group, the flexitarian group, and the regular diet group.
Based on the above findings, the research team concluded that “the vegetarian group, particularly the vegetarian group, had a significantly lower incidence of COVID-19.”
2024-01-15 22:15:00
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