YALE NEWS: A KETO DIET MAY HELP FIGHT COVID-19 SYMPTOMS

A high-fat, low-carb ketogenic diet can help you breathe easier, report Yale University researchers in the journal Immunity. In the animal study, mice on a high-fat diet had fewer symptoms of coronavirus and produced less mucus than when eating a standard American-style diet. Researchers say that’s because ketones—the compounds made by the body on a keto diet— activate virus-fighting white bloods cells and reduce the production of inflammatory cells that increase mucus production and make it difficult to breathe. “This study shows that the way the body burns fat to produce ketones from the food we eat can fuel the immune system to fight infection,” said co-senior author Vishwa Deep Dixit, Ph.D. To get the benefits, follow the approach outlined on page 30.