Possible roles of phytochemicals with bioactive properties in the prevention of and recovery from COVID-19

This article has been Reviewed by the following groups

Read the full article See related articles

Listed in

Log in to save this article

Abstract

There have been large geographical differences in the infection and death rates of COVID-19. Foods and beverages containing high amounts of phytochemicals with bioactive properties were suggested to prevent contracting and to facilitate recovery from COVID-19. The goal of our study was to determine the correlation of the type of foods/beverages people consumed and the risk reduction of contracting COVID-19 and the recovery from COVID-19.

Methods

We developed an online survey that asked the participants whether they contracted COVID-19, their symptoms, time to recover, and their frequency of eating various types of foods/beverages. The survey was developed in 10 different languages.

Results

The participants who did not contract COVID-19 consumed vegetables, herbs/spices, and fermented foods/beverages significantly more than the participants who contracted COVID-19. Among the six countries (India/Iran/Italy/Japan/Russia/Spain) with over 100 participants and high correspondence between the location of the participants and the language of the survey, in India and Japan the people who contracted COVID-19 showed significantly shorter recovery time, and greater daily intake of vegetables, herbs/spices, and fermented foods/beverages was associated with faster recovery.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that phytochemical compounds included in the vegetables may have contributed in not only preventing contraction of COVID-19, but also accelerating their recovery.

Article activity feed

  1. Harri Hemila

    Review 2: "Possible Roles of Phytochemicals with Bioactive Properties in the Prevention of and Recovery from COVID-19"

    Reviewers were divided on the reliability of this preprint with one reviewer rating it as strong (despite raising significant concerns) and the other expressing more detailed concerns about confounding and systematic bias in the design and analysis of the study.

  2. Hongwei Si

    Review 1: "Possible Roles of Phytochemicals with Bioactive Properties in the Prevention of and Recovery from COVID-19"

    Reviewers were divided on the reliability of this preprint with one reviewer rating it as strong (despite raising significant concerns) and the other expressing more detailed concerns about confounding and systematic bias in the design and analysis of the study.