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Monday 15 March 2021

'Nutrition Can Strengthen the Immune System to Fight COVID-19'


Sharing an article by Georgia Ede MD, she writes:
"Dietary changes can help bolster your natural immunity against viruses.

Obesity, high blood pressure, and type two diabetes may raise the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19, research suggests.

Eating a whole foods diet and monitoring blood sugar may help maintain metabolic health.

Diet and metabolic health can strengthen the immune system to fight COVID-19 and other viral infections.

No diet can reduce your risk of catching COVID-19. Viruses can’t reproduce without you, so if they find you, they’re going in. However, we are not passive Petri dishes. The human body is armed with a sophisticated security system for identifying and eliminating intruders of all kinds. Therefore it is largely the health of your immune system that ultimately determines your fate. So, is there a diet that strengthens your immune system?

Some advocates of Mediterranean, vegan, and low-carb lifestyles claim that following their diet of choice can help you fight off COVID-19, but no diet has been scientifically tested against this virus.

Yet even with a grand total of zero dietary studies available thus far, it would be a mistake to conclude that diet doesn’t matter in a pandemic. In fact, a pandemic should motivate all of us to double down on dietary quality, because the majority of people who suffer serious consequences from COVID infections have something in common: poor metabolic health.

The Link Between Metabolic Health and Severe Cases of COVID-19

A new study of over 900,000 COVID-related hospitalizations in the U.S. confirms that people are at far higher risk for complications and death from this virus if they have obesity, high blood pressure, and/or type two diabetes.

While these conditions may seem unrelated, often they are simply different tentacles of the same underlying beast: insulin resistance, aka pre-diabetes. The bad news is that at least one-third of American adults have pre-diabetes—and 80% of us don’t know it, because most doctors still don’t test for it.

In people with insulin resistance, insulin levels tend to run too high. The problem with high insulin levels is that insulin is not just a simple blood sugar regulator—it is a master metabolic hormone that orchestrates the behaviour of every organ system in the body. High insulin levels shift us into growth and storage mode, making it easy to accumulate excess body fat. Insulin also plays a major role in controlling blood pressure, blood sugar, and the immune system—all three of which are intimately involved in how we respond to COVID-19 infections."

More to read/continue reading here

Related Posts
BMJ Editorial - Endorse low carb for COVID-19 prevention - read here
Boosting your immune system to fight the coronavirus : What you need to know - read here

All the best Jan 

39 comments:

Sue said...

Nothing can stop you from catching it, but it's nice to be able to fight it! xx

Valerie-Jael said...

Good advice, thanks for sharing! Have a great week, Valerie

Rain said...

That's really interesting Jan. What we put into our bodies can really influence good and bad!

Ella said...

I completely agree with you!
Good nutrition can really help your immune system!

Elephant's Child said...

Diet always matters.

CJ Kennedy said...

Interesting article. Thanks for sharing

Luiz Gomes said...

Boa tarde, obrigado pela matéria de grande importância e informativa.

Jeanie said...

This makes a lot of sense. Thanks for sharing it -- an excellent reminder.

Tom said...

...we need all the help that we can get.

Kay said...

My blood sugar has gone up during the pandemic. Sadly, it's probably because I'm not getting the same level of activity. I'm lazy. Sigh... I'm trying to eat healthy though. Trying.

Inger said...

I started to Google low-carb diets -- how many carbs, etc. and was shocked to find out how many carbs an average healthy person eats. I need to feed my dogs right now, they are bugging me so (and I didn't think they would figure out that we just put our clocks forward, but they did). Anyhow, I will look into this some more.

Magic Love Crow said...

Very interesting! Thanks Jan! Big Hugs!

Margarida Pires said...

Obrigada, pelos conselhos!
Um grande beijinho!
Megy Maia🌺💜🌺

Christine said...

Interesting.

Practical Parsimony said...

In the spring of 2020, my endocrinologist gave me a 50,000 mg Vit D. I commented that I heard it was good a thing to have to fight covid. He said he was going to make me bullet proof. My levels were sooo low. Well, after a few months, I quit have UTIs continuously. I can tell other aspects of my health are better with this one change. And, before the supplement, I was getting all the D I needed in food, just not absorbing it, obviously. I eat nutritiously, but this supplement was necessary. I never take a vitamin instead of eating right. But, this was necessary.

chica said...

Belo e importante alerta! Bjs chica

Rose said...

A good article...

NatureFootstep said...

apart from some allergies I have not been sick for at least 15 years so I guess my system works fine :)

J.P. Alexander said...

Siempre es bueno cuidarse tanto en la dieta como en utilizar mascara y limpiarse las manos contra el covid. Buen articulo

Diane said...

Wonderful article and lots of good information Jan.

Hugs diane

William Kendall said...

Quite informative.

Margaret D said...

Goo9d to read Jan.

Hootin Anni said...

Thanks for this very informative read!!

Ananka said...

Diet is so important for so many things!

eileeninmd said...

Great article and important information. Thanks for sharing!
Take care, enjoy your day!

Francisco Manuel Carrajola Oliveira said...

Excelente informação.
Um abraço e boa semana.

Andarilhar
Dedais de Francisco e Idalisa
Livros-Autografados

Pom Pom said...

Hi Jan! So helpful! Thank you!

Pam said...

Thank you for sharing. I don't always eat the best but I am taking my vits and stuff....

Bill said...

Good to know this, thanks for sharing, Jan.

Snowbird said...

Really useful Jan.xxx

Teresa said...

Siempre interesantes tus publicaciones. Un beso.

Iris Flavia said...

I am so very thankful I´m not in the risk group - it must be scary...

Debra said...

Wow-so much good information.

Divers and Sundry said...

It's good to know there are some steps we can take to help.

Lady Fi said...

That cake looks lovely!

Conniecrafter said...

yes all this was pretty scary knowing that we aren't in the best health if we did catch covid

DVArtist said...

Really a wonderful post.

Carla from The River said...

Thank you for sharing!!

baili said...

thank you dear Jan
this is useful and helpful information u=indeed
i learn lot through your sharing and i am really grateful for that