The Effect of Mediterranean Diet Compliance on COVID-19 Symptoms and Disease Severity

Abstract

The aim of the research is to investigate the relationship between the adherence to a Mediterranean type of diet, which is an anti-inflammatory diet, and the degree of severity and symptoms of the disease in patients with COVID-19 infection. In the study, a short questionnaire form containing questions about demographic information, disease severity, and what symptoms they experienced was given to individuals who had previously had COVID-19 infection. The adaptation of individuals to the Mediterranean diet (MD) was evaluated with the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS). SPSS software program was used to analyze the effect of the MD on COVID-19 severity and symptoms. A total of 715 people, including 283 (39.6%) men and 432 (60.4%) women, were included in the study. It was determined that 33.7% (241/715) of the individuals had MD compliance, while 66.3% (474/715) did not have MD compliance. It was observed that 77.8% (556/715) of the individuals participating in the study had a mild recovery from the COVID-19 infection process. It was observed that thin and obese individuals had more difficulty recovering (p<0.05). The top 5 most common symptoms in COVID-19 patients were found to be as follows: fatigue-weakness (87%), low back-joint pain (76.4%), headache (70.5%), olfactory disorder (66%), and taste disorder (61%), respectively. No significant difference was found between adherence to a Mediterranean-type diet and COVID-19 severity and symptoms (p>0.05). In conclusion, no significant relationship was found between adherence to the MD and the severity of the COVID-19 infection. However, considering the effects of the Mediterranean-type diet, which is an anti-inflammatory diet, on obesity, it is thought that adherence to this diet will have a positive effect on decreasing the severity of COVID-19 transmission indirectly, if not directly.