AUTHOR=Koyama Sachiko , Joseph Paule V. , Shields Vonnie D. C. , Heinbockel Thomas , Adhikari Poonam , Kaur Rishemjit , Kumar Ritesh , Alizadeh Rafieh , Bhutani Surabhi , Calcinoni Orietta , Mucignat-Caretta Carla , Chen Jingguo , Cooper Keiland W. , Das Subha R. , Rohlfs Domínguez Paloma , Guàrdia Maria Dolors , Klyuchnikova Maria A. , Laktionova Tatiana K. , Mori Eri , Namjoo Zeinab , Nguyen Ha , Özdener Mehmet Hakan , Parsa Shima , Özdener-Poyraz Elif , Strub Daniel Jan , Taghizadeh-Hesary Farzad , Ueha Rumi , Voznessenskaya Vera V. TITLE=Possible roles of phytochemicals with bioactive properties in the prevention of and recovery from COVID-19 JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition VOLUME=11 YEAR=2024 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1408248 DOI=10.3389/fnut.2024.1408248 ISSN=2296-861X ABSTRACT=Introduction

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.