A number of published studies report that consuming a plant-based diet may reduce systemic inflammation. As well, a plant-based dietary pattern is high in fiber and a variety of antioxidants– nutritional compounds that have been linked to improving or protecting lung function. In March 2020, a group of nutritional scientists[1] based in Washington, DC USA published a literature review that examined the role of diet in people with asthma. People with asthma have been found to be as much as 6-times more likely to die from COVID-19 (as compared to people without an underlying condition). The researchers cited studies that included one in which asthma patients who consumed a plant-based diet for 1 year displayed improvements in lung markers including vital capacity (the volume of air that is expelled). On a related finding, the team submits study data that suggests that high fat intake, consuming saturated fats correlated to greater airway inflammation and worsened lung function.
In April 2020, researchers[2] led by the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health (Maryland, USA) reported that consuming a dietary pattern high in vegetables, whole grains, fish, and olive oil may raise cognitive function. The team tracked 7,756 men and women, enrolled in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) and AREDS2 study, surveying them for foods consumed and assessing cognitive status via standardized scales. The investigators found that study participants with the greatest adherence to the Mediterranean diet were at the lowest risk of cognitive impairment, with high fish and vegetable consumption appearing to have the greatest protective effect. Apolipoprotein E (APOE) haplotype did not influence these relationships.
[1] Alwarith J, Kahleova H, Crosby L, Brooks A, Brandon L, Levin SM, Barnard ND. “The role of nutrition in asthma prevention and treatment.” Nutr Rev. 2020 Mar 13. pii: nuaa005. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuaa005.
[2] Keenan TD, Agrón E, Mares JA, Clemons TE, van Asten F, Swaroop A, Chew EY; AREDS and AREDS2 Research Groups. “Adherence to a Mediterranean diet and cognitive function in the Age-Related Eye Disease Studies 1 & 2.” Alzheimers Dement. 2020 Apr 13. doi: 10.1002/alz.12077.