Scientists from the University of Glasgow found unhealthy lifestyles are linked to a higher risk of severe COVID-19.
The research is published in BMC Infectious Diseases and was conducted by Kate O’Donnell et al.
In the study, the team looked at 343,850 people with an average age of over 60.
They found that the combined influence of both lifestyle and socioeconomic factors further increased the risk of severe disease or death from COVID-19.
Participants in the highest deprivation group have a higher risk of adverse COVID-19 outcomes when compared to those in low deprivation.
The study suggests that the greatest public health benefit from lifestyle-focused COVID-19 government policy and health interventions is likely to be seen when the greatest support for healthy living is provided to the most disadvantaged groups.
This is the first study to look at the combined influence of both socioeconomic status (level of deprivation) and a wide combination of unhealthy lifestyle factors on the risk of COVID-19 outcomes.
The study found that a higher proportion of participants with the least healthy lifestyle scores died from COVID-19 and had severe COVID-19 compared with those with healthier lifestyle scores.
Similarly, there was a higher proportion of participants from more disadvantaged groups (more deprived, lower education, or lower-income) that died from COVID-19 and had severe COVID-19 compared with those in more advantaged groups.
Recent studies have found this drug can block multiple COVID-19 variants, and vitamin D can be an inexpensive COVID-19 treatment, which is highly relevant to the current study.
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Previous research has found that eating healthy food may help prevent COVID-19.
In a study from Rutgers New Jersey and published in the American Journal of Medicine, researchers suggest that in addition to vaccinations, health care workers should recommend plant-based diets to help patients improve their health and decrease vulnerability to COVID-19.
They point to a new study of health care workers whose immune response to the Pfizer vaccine was inversely associated with waist circumference.
A 2021 study of health care workers in six countries revealed that those following largely plant-based diets had 73% lower odds of developing moderate-to-severe COVID-19, compared with those following other diets.
This benefit may come from the fact that plant-based diets are linked to much lower body weight, lower risk of high blood pressure, lower plasma lipid levels, and lower risk of diabetes.
A healthy vegan diet can benefit a large group of individuals who fail to respond adequately to vaccination yet does not have a classic immunosuppression condition.
To improve health and decrease vulnerability to COVID-19 and other illnesses, the authors suggest three key strategies:
Doctors should encourage patients to improve underlying health conditions, including adopting healthful dietary habits, particularly a renewed emphasis on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and plant-based diets.
Medical practitioners should refer appropriate patients to registered dietitians as a matter of medical urgency.
They should provide nutrition information and code nutrition messaging into their electronic medical records to be automatically given to patients at check out.
Hospitals should provide information about good nutrition to patients, families, visitors, and staff, and should model it with the foods they serve.
If you care about COVID, please read studies about a new risk factor for severe COVID-19, and these common anti-inflammatory drugs could help cut COVID-19 deaths.
For more information about COVID and your health, please see recent studies about existing drug that could help treat COVID-19, and results showing that this new COVID-19 vaccine can give the body ‘border protection’.
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