Covid-19: an adapted diet reduces your risk of infection

in collaboration with

Dr Laure Martinat (Anesthetist-resuscitator, Naturopath, graduate in Phytotherapy and Aromatherapy)

After two years of global pandemic, Polish researchers wanted to study the external elements that influence Covid-19 infection. They came up with the idea of ​​looking at diet, obesity being an important comorbidity criterion linked to the severity of the disease. Their results are published in the journal Nutrientslast January.

Fruits, vegetables and nuts

Polish scientists wanted to assess the link between nutritional behaviors and physical activity in relation to the risk of having COVID-19, in young healthy non-obese people. They observed 95 middle-aged adults. In their findings, the researchers note “that a balanced diet rich in vegetables and fruit, including nuts, whole grain products and legumes, meets vitamin and mineral requirements”.

Less 86% risk of infection

For researchers, such a diet “may be an effective measure to reduce the risk of COVID-19 in physically active and healthy non-obese young people with normal immune function”.

Indeed, people who have had “an average daily consumption of more than 500 g of vegetables and fruits and also ate more than 10 g of nuts per day had an 86% lower risk of COVID-19 than those whose diet was not balanced and who consumed smaller quantities of these products” say scientists.

The anti-inflammatory effect of certain foods

“Our immune system is influenced by the foods we eat“explains Dr. Laure Martinat, anesthetist-resuscitator and member of the Doctissimo expert committee. An unbalanced diet will tend to put the immune system on permanent standby and disrupt the intestinal microbiota.

It is these disturbances that would be the cause of certain pathologies such as certain cancers, type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular pathologies. For Covid-19 infection, it is the present inflammation that will be favored by the presence of pro-inflammatory bacteria. Where a healthy microbiota will tend to counterbalance the inflammation caused by the virus, and help limit infection in the lungs and other affected organs.

Too little fruit and vegetables eaten

In France, fruit and vegetable consumption is still too low. However, “adopting a balanced diet is valid for improving your immunity against all diseases and not just Covid-19″ recalls Dr. Laure Martinat. “There is no miracle food to eat, but rather a diet to adopt, which will support the immune system, which will be stronger in the face of the risk of infection. explains the specialist.

For Dr. Martinat, the ideal is to adopt the Mediterranean or Cretan diet. “It is a diet that promotes balance in the body, providing lots of vitamins, nutrients and trace elements”.

The recommended Cretan or Mediterranean diet

In the Mediterranean diet, we consume a lot of vegetables and fruits, raw or cooked, legumes, seeds and whole grains. We cook with olive oil and we eat fish from the bottom of the food chain such as sardines or mackerel, rich in omega 3 (for their anti-inflammatory properties) and low in heavy metals, rather than sea bass or salmon.

Nuts, hazelnuts, almonds and other seeds are also important in this type of diet. One can also consume a little meat, but it does not occupy a dominating place. Finally, the spotlight is given to aromatic herbs with alkalizing properties, which limit inflammation.

“They can be added to any dish. The ideal is to consume them in fresh form and they can easily be grown at home. Otherwise in frozen or dry form, even if they lose some of their benefits this way, they are still very interesting to integrate into your daily diet. says our expert.

Laure Martinat has just published the book “Immunity, infectious diseases and convalescence: strengthening your health naturally” at Quintessence editions, devoted to ways to boost your health in a natural way.