Nutrition in the Actual COVID-19 Pandemic. A Narrative Review

Nutrients. 2021 Jun 3;13(6):1924. doi: 10.3390/nu13061924.

Abstract

The pandemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has shocked world health authorities generating a global health crisis. The present study discusses the main finding in nutrition sciences associated with COVID-19 in the literature. We conducted a consensus critical review using primary sources, scientific articles, and secondary bibliographic indexes, databases, and web pages. The method was a narrative literature review of the available literature regarding nutrition interventions and nutrition-related factors during the COVID-19 pandemic. The main search engines used in the present research were PubMed, SciELO, and Google Scholar. We found how the COVID-19 lockdown promoted unhealthy dietary changes and increases in body weight of the population, showing obesity and low physical activity levels as increased risk factors of COVID-19 affection and physiopathology. In addition, hospitalized COVID-19 patients presented malnutrition and deficiencies in vitamin C, D, B12 selenium, iron, omega-3, and medium and long-chain fatty acids highlighting the potential health effect of vitamin C and D interventions. Further investigations are needed to show the complete role and implications of nutrition both in the prevention and in the treatment of patients with COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; body composition; dietary pattern; gut; immunology; lockdown; nutrition; physical activity; vitamin.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • COVID-19*
  • Communicable Disease Control*
  • Diet*
  • Exercise
  • Feeding Behavior*
  • Female
  • Health Behavior
  • Hospitalization
  • Humans
  • Life Style*
  • Male
  • Nutrients / deficiency
  • Nutritional Status*
  • Obesity / etiology
  • Pandemics*
  • SARS-CoV-2