Comparison of Food Intakes of Diabetes, Hypertension and Heart Disease Patients with Clinical Symptoms of COVID-19 and Asymptomatic Controls.

Abstract

Background: In recent months, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global health challenge. Nutrition is a key determining factor of health. In the present research, we assess and compare dietary food groups and nutrient supplements intake of diabetic, hypertensive and heart disease patients with clinical symptoms of COVID-19 and asymptomatic controls.Methods: This retrospective case-control research was conducted on 98 patients with diabetes, hypertension, and/or heart disease that 37 of them were COVID-19 positive with clinical symptoms. Dietary intakes of participants were recorded using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), which was designed and validated for the Iranian population.Results: 54% of all subjects had nutritional supplements consumption in the last 6 months, and there was no significant difference in the type of nutritional supplements between cases and controls. There was no significant difference in the median intake of food groups, in the last year, in metabolic syndrome patients with clinical symptoms of COVID-19 compared to controls. Crud OR shown, adequate consumption of any food groups was not associated with the occurrence of COVID-19. Conclusion: While dietary intake and nutritional supplements may be excellent promise for preventing clinical symptoms of COVID-19, however, up to now, researches are not enough for recommending these supplements above the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for prevention and/or treatment of COVID-19.