Habitual adherence to a traditional Mediterranean diet and risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): a longitudinal analysis

Abstract

Evidence on habitual Mediterranean diet (MD) and risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and COVID-19 is limited. 1,520 participants from the Moli-sani Study (2017-2020) were tested during January-September 2021 and adherence to MD was ascertained through the Mediterranean Diet Score (MDS). SARS-CoV-2 infection cases were determined through serology, and previous clinical diagnosis of COVID-19 disease was self-reported. Results were presented as odd ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). The MDS was not associated with the likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR= 0.94; 95% CI: 0.83–1.06) and COVID-19 (OR= 0.82; 95% CI: 0.62–1.10) diagnosis. High consumption of cereals was associated with lower odds of SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR = 0.91; 95% CI: 0.83–1.00; for each 25 g/d increase). Likelihood of having being diagnosed with COVID-19 disease decreased in association with increasing olive oil intake (OR= 0.10; 95% CI: 0.01–0.79; for each additional 10 g/d), moderate alcohol consumption (OR= 0.18; 95% CI: 0.04–0.82) and higher intakes of fruits and nuts (OR = 0.89; 95% CI: 0.79–0.99). Our findings emphasise the adoption and maintenance of a balanced MD as a key strategy to reduce the risk of future SARS-CoV-2 infections and COVID-19.