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Review
. 2021 Jun 1;12(3):682-692.
doi: 10.1093/advances/nmaa125.

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Nutritional Status: The Missing Link?

Renata Silverio  1   2 , Daniela Caetano Gonçalves  1   3 , Márcia Fábia Andrade  1 , Marilia Seelaender  1   4
Affiliations
Review

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Nutritional Status: The Missing Link?

Renata Silverio et al. Adv Nutr. .

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging disease that has reached pandemic status by rapidly spreading worldwide. Elderly individuals and patients with comorbidities such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension show a higher risk of hospitalization, severe disease, and mortality by acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. These patients frequently show exacerbated secretion of proinflammatory cytokines associated with an overreaction of the immune system, the so-called cytokine storm. Host nutritional status plays a pivotal role in the outcome of a variety of different infectious diseases. It is known that the immune system is highly affected by malnutrition, leading to decreased immune responses with consequent augmented risk of infection and disease severity. Body composition, especially low lean mass and high adiposity, has consistently been linked to worsened prognosis in many different diseases. In this review, evidence concerning the impact of nutritional status on viral infection outcomes is discussed.

Keywords: BMI; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; immune system; obesity; sarcopenia; undernutrition.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Obesity and related comorbidities are associated with physiological alterations leading to higher susceptibility to infection and pathogenicity and transmission of COVID-19. ACE2, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2; COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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