Virus hits malnourished, obese

British study finds micronutrients, probiotics important

Malnutrition, obesity and undernourishment are also driving forces for higher viral load of the Covid-19 virus as imbalanced nutritional status is causing damage to the body compounded by co-morbid conditions and age.

A study published in the British Journal of Nutrition has noted that a diversified diet of micronutrients, bioactive compounds and probiotics is important to fight Covid-19.

Due to inflammation and cytokine storm in the body, the nutritional status and its ability to help the immune system fight with the virus is very important.

It has been found that those who were malnourished succumbed to infection faster and their ability to fight it was limited.

Due to the infection, they suffered from appetite loss, alternation in intestinal absorptions, further aggravating their malnourished state. This caused the gut barrier function to be further compromised leading to problems in regulating the inflammatory response of the body. The same was noted in undernourished cases with more diverse alterations in the immune system, leading to increased susceptibility to infections.

The need for a balanced diet with a good combination of fruits, vegetables and protein is required to fight infections and ensure that the immune system functions properly. Dr Tulasi P, consultant dietitian at KIMS hospital, explained, "Foods rich in antioxidants help to reduce oxidative stress. Protein plays a major role as antibodies and hormones are made of them. Protein rich foods like milk, pulses, soya, eggs, fish must be included in the diet in these times. This will help to deal with the malnourished and under-nourished statuses.”

The other worrying factor is obesity. Abdominal obesity is very high in India and that leads to complications in the respiratory system. The volume of lung tissues are affected due to obesity and it allows for replication of the virus and progression of respiratory problems.

For this reason, exercise must not be missed even during the pandemic. Home exercise schedules have been recommended and people have been advised to continue to maintain their fitness levels at home which will help them check weight issues.

Western diets which are more of soft and highly processed foods must be avoided, urged nutritionists.

National institute of nutrition has stated that the diet must have legumes, whole grains, pulses, raw salads, like beetroot, carrot, radish, fermented foods like curd, idli and multi-cereal foods like ragi, sorgum and other millets.

● A STUDY published in the BritishJournalofNutrition has noted that a diversified diet of micronutrients, bioactive compounds and probiotics is important to fight Covid-19.