Introduction
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the way we live our lives, and it has also changed the way we think about our health. A new study has revealed that certain dietary habits can increase your risk of developing “long COVID,” a condition that can cause lingering symptoms for months after a person has recovered from the virus. Eating certain foods can increase your risk of long COVID, while avoiding others can help reduce your risk. In this article, we’ll discuss what foods to eat and what to avoid to reduce your risk of long COVID.
This Can Increase Your Risk of “Long COVID,” Study Shows — Eat This Not That
A new study has found that certain dietary habits can increase your risk of developing “long COVID” — a condition that can cause lingering symptoms for months after a person has recovered from the virus. The study, published in the journal Nutrients, looked at the dietary habits of more than 1,000 people who had tested positive for COVID-19 and found that those who ate a diet high in processed foods, sugar, and saturated fat were more likely to experience long-term symptoms.
The study found that people who ate a diet high in processed foods, sugar, and saturated fat were more than twice as likely to experience long-term symptoms compared to those who ate a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. The researchers also found that people who ate a diet high in processed foods were more likely to experience fatigue, muscle pain, and difficulty concentrating.
The findings suggest that eating a healthy diet may help reduce the risk of developing long COVID. Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can help provide the body with essential vitamins and minerals that can help boost the immune system and reduce inflammation. Additionally, avoiding processed foods, sugar, and saturated fat can help reduce the risk of developing long-term symptoms.
If you’ve tested positive for COVID-19, it’s important to take steps to reduce your risk of developing long-term symptoms. Eating a healthy diet is one of the best ways to do this. Focus on eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and limit your intake of processed foods, sugar, and saturated fat.
More than two years into the pandemic, the phenomenon known as “long COVID” continues to be somewhat mysterious to health experts. Up to 30% of people who contract the coronavirus may end up with lingering symptoms that last for weeks or months after their initial infection. The causes aren’t understood, although research continues to provide small pieces of the puzzle, as it did this week, with a study that indicates one condition may increase your risk. Read on to find out more—and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure Signs You’ve Already Had COVID.
According to a new analysis of studies, having diabetes may increase your risk of long COVID.
That’s the conclusion of a group of researchers who presented their findings this week at the Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association.
The scientists looked at seven studies that tracked patients for at least four weeks after they recovered from COVID-19, to analyze who developed common symptoms of long COVID (including such as brain fog, shortness of breath, skin conditions, and depression). Three of the studies found that people with diabetes were up to four times more likely to develop long COVID than people who didn’t have diabetes.
Diabetes seems to be “a potent risk factor” for long COVID, said the researchers, who noted that their findings are preliminary—the studies they analyzed used different methods, definitions of long COVID, and observed different severities of initial illness.
“More high-quality studies across multiple populations and settings are needed to determine if diabetes is indeed a risk factor” for long COVID, the scientists said. They urged “careful monitoring” of people with diabetes after a COVID-19 diagnosis.
Long COVID (also known as PASC, for post-acute sequelae of COVID-19) is the umbrella term for a wide range of symptoms that endure for weeks or months after a COVID infection. They include breathing problems, fatigue, and neurological issues like brain fog and can vary in severity from inconvenient to debilitating. The severity of the initial illness seems not to matter—people who had mild cases of COVID-19 have reported long COVID.
The General Accounting Office estimates that between 8 million and 23 million Americans have developed long COVID so far. According to CDC data through November 2021, one in five Americans aged 18 to 64 reported a later health condition that may be attributable to COVID-19. Among adults over 65, the number was one in four.
Follow the fundamentals and help end this pandemic, no matter where you live—get vaccinated ASAP; if you live in an area with low vaccination rates, wear an N95 face mask, don’t travel, social distance, avoid large crowds, don’t go indoors with people you’re not sheltering with (especially in bars), practice good hand hygiene, and to protect your life and the lives of others, don’t visit any of these 35 Places You’re Most Likely to Catch COVID.
Michael Martin