Call us at 514 667-3383 or
1 866 677-3383
Many are currently wondering about the role that nutrition can play during this pandemic to optimize the immune system. Immunity and the risk of severity of an infection have been shown to be linked to nutritional status (Maggini et al., 2018).
Since diet plays a crucial role in the functioning of the immune system, it is not the time to go on restrictive diets but rather the time to focus on eating a healthy diet rich in various nutrients:
Zinc, for example, is important for the maintenance and development of the innate and adaptive immune system, for defense against viral as well as bacterial infections (Gammoh et al., 2017).
A lack of selenium could lead to an immune deficiency but also a propensity for a retrovirus (RNA type virus) to mutate and increase its virulence (Harthill, 2011).
All the more interesting is the role that vitamin D seems to have to decrease the susceptibility to pulmonary infection, or to be able to decrease the severity of a pulmonary infection, such as that caused by a virus, therefore can be promising in the Covid-19 pandemic (Grant et al., 2020).
In addition, people suffering from chronic diseases must be more vigilant in taking care of their health because SARS-CoV2 is more virulent among these people (WHO, 2020), so food is an essential ally.
Nutrition is the foundation of our health and can make a difference in these times when our immune system needs an extra boost. A nutritionist-dietitian can help guide you in improving your diet based on the latest scientific evidence. We are here for that!
Anne-Marie Mitchell, Dt.P, M.Sc. Nutritionist-Dietitian
Please do not hesitate to contact us at the RocklandMD clinic for an appointment or more information.
References:
1) Maggini, S., et coll. (2018). Immune Function and Micronutrient Requirements Change over the Life Course. [Review]. Nutrients, 10 (10).
2) Gammoh, N. Z., et coll. (2017). Zinc in Infection and Inflammation. [Review]. Nutrients, 9(6).
3) Harthill, M. (2011). Review: micronutrient selenium deficiency influences evolution of some viral infectious diseases. Biol Trace Elem Res., 143:1325-1336.
4) Grant, W., et coll. (2020). Evidence that Vitamin D Supplementation Could Reduce Risk of Influenza and COVID-19 Infections and Deaths. Nutrients.
5) OMS. (2020). Report of the WHO-China Joint Mission on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Organisation Mondale de la santé, Retrieved from https://www.who.int/publications-detail/report-of-the-who-china-joint-mission-on-coronavirus-disease-2019-(covid-19).
