The Impact of Different Types of Diet on the Prevention of Diseases among Polish Inhabitants, Including COVID-19 Disease

Justyna Gołębiowska; Anna Zimny-Zając; Sebastian Makuch; Mateusz Dróżdż; Krzysztof Dudek; Joanna Żórawska; Grzegorz Mazur; Siddarth Agrawal

doi:10.3390/nu15183947

The Impact of Different Types of Diet on the Prevention of Diseases among Polish Inhabitants, Including COVID-19 Disease

Nutrients. 2023 Sep 12;15(18):3947. doi: 10.3390/nu15183947.

Authors

Justyna Gołębiowska¹, Anna Zimny-Zając², Sebastian Makuch³, Mateusz Dróżdż⁴, Krzysztof Dudek⁵, Joanna Żórawska⁶, Grzegorz Mazur¹, Siddarth Agrawal¹

Affiliations

¹ Department and Clinic of Internal Medicine, Occupational Diseases, Hypertension and Clinical Oncology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland.
² Medonet, Ringier Axel Springer Poland, Domaniewska St. 49, 02-672 Warsaw, Poland.
³ Department of Clinical and Experimental Pathology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland.
⁴ Faculty of Medicine, Wroclaw Medical University, J. Mikulicza-Radeckiego 5, 50-345 Wroclaw, Poland.
⁵ Statistical Analysis Center, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-368 Wroclaw, Poland.
⁶ Clinical Department of Geriatrics, Wroclaw Medical University, Pasteur 4 Street, 50-367 Wroclaw, Poland.

Abstract

Proper nutrition may help in preventing deaths or at least alleviating the symptoms of many chronic diseases. While the COVID-19 disease was still taking its toll, the world had to adjust to new life conditions, which could change nutritional habits. In this observational, cross-sectional study, we aimed to identify the potential correlations between sociodemographic factors and diet and the presence of common chronic diseases among Polish inhabitants. Furthermore, we tried to determine whether the COVID-19 pandemic led to changes in nutritional habits. Therefore, based on the online study (the National Test for Poles' Health (NTPH), we collected data from 376,102 and 200,000 respondents in two different time frames (before the COVID-19 pandemic: 2019-2020 and during the COVID-19 pandemic: 2021-2022, respectively). Despite the rapid global rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, among our study group, hypertension was still the most commonly occurring disease in both time frames (32.33% in 2019-2020 and 34.95% in 2021-2022, p < 0.001). Furthermore, more chronic diseases were reported during the COVID-19 pandemic than in 2019-2020. Regarding sociodemographic factors, male respondents were more likely to develop hypertension and diabetes (OR = 1.35 CI 95% (1.28-1.43), p < 0.001; and OR = 1.20 CI 95% (1.11-1.30), p < 0.001). Vegetarian diet decreases the likelihood of hypertension, neurological disease, and diabetes (OR = 0.69, CI 95% (0.60-0.81), p < 0.001; OR = 0.72, CI 95% (0.59-0.88), p = 0.001; and OR = 0.73, CI 95% (0.55-0.96), p = 0.026). In line with this, consuming meat meals increases the risk of hypertension (OR = 1.09, CI 95% (1.02-1.17), p = 0.009). Interestingly, a reduced-sodium diet has an association with decreased morbidity of COVID-19 disease (OR = 0.72, CI 95% (0.63-0.82), p < 0.001). This result brings new light to more research to be done to allow efficient prevention of this disease. In conclusion, our study shows the beneficial role of a balanced diet in reducing the incidence rate of common chronic diseases. Our findings may be educational for those who would like to change their nutritional habits and/or for public health professionals to suggest the implementation of proper diets to their patients.

Keywords: COVID-19; diet; polish population; vegan; vegetarian.

Grants and funding

This research received no external funding.