What Does Food Have To Do With COVID-19?

Diet-Related Diseases

The prevalence of diet-related diseases in the US has reached alarming levels. Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian highlights that nearly three in four American adults are overweight or obese, and about half have diabetes or prediabetes 1. This unhealthy majority is a stark contrast to what should be a predominantly healthy population. Mark Hyman adds that poor diet kills approximately 530,000 Americans annually, a crisis that predates COVID-19 1.

We've completely flipped that on its head, and we have a tiny, tiny proportion of the population that's actually healthy, and everybody else has disease. And most of that disease, not all of it, most of that disease is strongly diet related.

--- Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian

The economic and social costs of diet-related diseases are immense, burdening healthcare systems and exacerbating disparities 1.

   

Chronic Diseases

Chronic diseases significantly worsen COVID-19 outcomes. Dr. Mozaffarian explains that poor metabolic health, including diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, is closely linked to severe COVID-19 cases 2. Only 12% of Americans are metabolically healthy, putting the majority at higher risk. Dr. Hyman discusses how improving diet can enhance metabolic health and potentially reduce COVID-19 severity 2.

It's very plausible that if we had a metabolically healthy population, COVID would be much, much less severe.

--- Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian

Addressing diet-related health issues is crucial for long-term pandemic resilience 2.