Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Oct;25(10):643-652.
doi: 10.1007/s11883-023-01138-7. Epub 2023 Aug 30.

The Intersection Between COVID-19, Cardiovascular Disease, and Diet: a Review

Tanusha S Tholla  1 , Caleigh M Sawicki  2 , Shilpa N Bhupathiraju  3   4
Affiliations
Review

The Intersection Between COVID-19, Cardiovascular Disease, and Diet: a Review

Tanusha S Tholla et al. Curr Atheroscler Rep. 2023 Oct.

Abstract

Purpose of review: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the top comorbidities associated with COVID-19-both pre- and post-infection. This review examines the relationships between COVID-19 infection and cardiovascular health, with a specific focus on diet as an important modifiable risk factor.

Recent findings: Pandemic era studies of individuals battling and recovering from COVID-19 infection suggest a strong link between metabolic diseases, such as CVD, and SARS-CoV-2 infection susceptibility and severity. Other studies also demonstrate how COVID-19 lockdown policies and quarantine recommendations led to drastic lifestyle changes associated with increased CVD risk, such as reduced physical activity and lower diet quality. At the same time, new research is emerging that plant-based diets, which have previously been associated with lower CVD risk, may lower COVID-19 infection rates and severity of symptoms. Diet, COVID-19, and CVD intersect through complex biological mechanisms and related behavioral factors evidenced by clinical trials and epidemiological studies. Diet may be a critical tool for modifying risk of communicable and non-communicable conditions in the post-pandemic world.

Keywords: COVID-19; Cardiovascular disease; Diet; Nutrition.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

Papers of particular interest, published recently, have been highlighted as: • Of importance •• Of major importance
    1. Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 - 6 July 2023, Edition 150. 2023. World Health Organization https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/weekly-epidemiological-update-on... . Accessed 07 Aug 2023.
    1. Stefan N, Birkenfeld AL, Schulze MB. Global pandemics interconnected — obesity, impaired metabolic health and COVID-19. Nat Rev Endocrinol. 2021;17:135–49. - PubMed - DOI
    1. Singh AK, Gillies CL, Singh R, Singh A, Chudasama Y, Coles B, et al. Prevalence of co-morbidities and their association with mortality in patients with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2020;22:1915–24. - PubMed - PMC - DOI
    1. Bajgain KT, Badal S, Bajgain BB, Santana MJ. Prevalence of comorbidities among individuals with COVID-19: a rapid review of current literature. Am J Infect Control. 2021;49:238–46. - PubMed - DOI
    1. Kompaniyets L, Pennington AF, Goodman AB, et al. Underlying medical conditions and severe illness among 540,667 adults hospitalized with COVID-19, March 2020–March 2021. Prev Chronic Dis. 2021;18:E66. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd18.210123 . A review of underlying medical conditions and comorbidities among almost 5 million hospitalized COVID-19 patients in the U.S., to predict risk factors of severe infection.

LinkOut - more resources