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Review
. 2022 Jun:49:17-23.
doi: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2022.04.007. Epub 2022 Apr 15.

Nutrition as a key to boost immunity against COVID-19

Fatema Calcuttawala  1
Affiliations
Review

Nutrition as a key to boost immunity against COVID-19

Fatema Calcuttawala. Clin Nutr ESPEN. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

The Coronavirus-disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared as a global pandemic on March 11, 2020 by the World Health Organization. Since then, the scientific community has been actively engaged in developing a vaccine against the dreaded disease. Considerable research has also been performed for drugs that can directly interfere with the viral replication pathway. However, the production of these vaccines and drugs demands a lot of time and effort which is undesirable considering the pace at which the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is spreading across the continents. For this reason, the possible role of dietary nutrients in reducing the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection as well as mitigating the symptoms, may be explored. These natural substances are readily available, have negligible side effects and confer several benefits to the immune system. Macronutrients like proteins are vital for antibody production. Dietary constituents such as omega-3-fatty acids, vitamin C, vitamin E, phytochemicals such as carotenoids and polyphenols exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. This review highlights the significance of relevant nutrients in boosting the immune system.

Keywords: Anti-inflammatory; Antioxidant; Macronutrients; Micronutrients; Phytochemicals.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The author has no conflicts of interest to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Nutritional significance of macronutrients.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Role of vitamin D in boosting the immunity.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Classification of phytochemicals.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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