A brand new study finds a vegetarian or pescatarian diet reduces one's risk of developing severe Covid-19 as compared to meat eaters. A research team conducted a study of 2,884 frontline doctors and nurses exposed to the virus between July and September 2020. Their research into diet and Covid-19 severity found that plant-based vegetarian diets reduce the risk of moderate to severe Covid-19 by up to 73 per cent and a fish-based pescatarian diet reduces the risk by 59 per cent.
Details regarding participants' eating habits were also included in the survey, which had 10 diet categories – whole food diet, keto, Mediterranean, Paleolithic, low fat, low carbohydrate, and high protein diet. All of these include red and white meats, plant-based/vegan diet, vegetarian diet, and pescatarian diet. There was an additional 'Other' option.
Only 41 of those who reported the illness claimed to be on a plant-based diet, while another 46 were pescatarian. The remaining 481 had all been on some form of meal regimen which included livestock and poultry. Authors of the study said in a press release, “Our results suggest that a healthy diet rich in nutrient dense foods may be considered for protection against severe Covid-19.”
The new study is published in the BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health. It remains unclear why the two specific diets have potentially fared better during the pandemic as “limited” study can only show an association between the groups and severe Covid-19 illness. Deputy chair of the UK's NNedPro Nutrition and Covid-19 Taskforce, Shane McAuliffe said in a statement, “This study highlights the need for better designed prospective studies on the association between diet nutritional status and Covid-19 outcomes.”
