Catholic Info

Traditional Catholic Faith => Health and Nutrition => Topic started by: Emile on June 09, 2021, 02:22:35 PM

Title: Wonder who paid for this study
Post by: Emile on June 09, 2021, 02:22:35 PM
 Plant-based and/or fish diets may help lessen severity of CÖVÌD-19 infection
Associated with 73% and 59% lower odds, respectively, of moderate to severe disease
BMJ
Research News (http://www.eurekalert.org/releaseguidelines)




Plant-based and/or fish (pescatarian) diets may help lower the odds of developing moderate to severe CÖVÌD-19 infection, suggest the findings of a six-country study, published in the online journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health.
They were associated with 73% and 59% lower odds, respectively, of severe disease, the findings indicate.
Several studies have suggested that diet might have an important role in symptom severity and illness duration of CÖVÌD-19 infection. But, as yet, there's little evidence to confirm or refute this theory.
To explore this further, the researchers drew on the survey responses of 2884 frontline doctors and nurses with extensive exposure to SARS-CO-v2, the virus responsible for CÖVÌD-19 infection, working in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the US.
The participants were all part of a global network of healthcare professionals registered with the Survey Healthcare Globus network for healthcare market research. The researchers used this network to identify clinicians at high risk of CÖVÌD-19 infection as a result of their jobs.
The online survey, which ran between July and September 2020, was designed to elicit detailed information about respondents' dietary patterns, based on a 47-item food frequency questionnaire, over the previous year, and the severity of any CÖVÌD-19 infections they had had, using objective criteria.
The survey also gathered information on personal background, medical history, medication use, and lifestyle.
The various diets were combined into plant-based (higher in vegetables, legumes, and nuts, and lower in poultry and red and processed meats); pescatarian/plant-based (as above, but with added fish/seafood); and low carb-high protein diets.
Some 568 respondents (cases) said they had had symptoms consistent with CÖVÌD-19 infection or no symptoms but a positive swab test for the infection; 2316 said they hadn't had any symptoms/tested positive (comparison group).
Among the 568 cases, 138 clinicians said they had had moderate to severe CÖVÌD-19 infection; the remaining 430 said they had had very mild to mild CÖVÌD-19 infection.
After factoring in several potentially influential variables, including age, ethnicity, medical specialty, and lifestyle (smoking, physical activity), respondents who said they ate plant-based diets' or plant-based/pescatarian diets had, respectively, 73% and 59% lower odds of moderate to severe CÖVÌD-19 infection, compared with those who didn't have these dietary patterns.
And compared with those who said they ate a plant-based diet, those who said they ate a low carb-high protein diet had nearly 4 times the odds of moderate to severe CÖVÌD-19 infection.
These associations held true when weight (BMI) and co-existing medical conditions were also factored in.
But no association was observed between any type of diet and the risk of contracting CÖVÌD-19 infection or length of the subsequent illness.
This is an observational study, and so can't establish cause, only correlation. It also relied on individual recall rather than on objective assessments, and the definition of certain dietary patterns may vary by country, point out the researchers.
Men outnumbered women in the study, so the findings may not be applicable to women, they add.
But plant-based diets are rich in nutrients, especially phytochemicals (polyphenols, carotenoids), vitamins and minerals, all of which are important for a healthy immune system, say the researchers.
And fish is an important source of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, both of which have anti-inflammatory properties, they add.
"Our results suggest that a healthy diet rich in nutrient dense foods may be considered for protection against severe CÖVÌD-19," they conclude.
"The trends in this study are limited by study size (small numbers with a confirmed positive test) and design (self-reporting on diet and symptoms) so caution is needed in the interpretation of the findings," comments Deputy Chair of the NNEdPro Nutrition and CÖVÌD-19 Taskforce, Shane McAuliffe.
"However, a high quality diet is important for mounting an adequate immune response, which in turn can influence susceptibility to infection and its severity."
He adds:"This study highlights the need for better designed prospective studies on the association between diet, nutritional status and CÖVÌD-19 outcomes."
###
Externally peer reviewed? Yes
Evidence type: Observational; survey data
Subjects: People
Title: Re: Wonder who paid for this study
Post by: Romulus on June 09, 2021, 03:39:30 PM
I am sorry but COVID or not, I'm not giving up bacon, barbecue, pork ribs, sausage, steak, hamburgers, ham, chicken, lamb chops, etc... just so my symptoms may be lowered 
Title: Re: Wonder who paid for this study
Post by: Matthew on June 09, 2021, 03:49:51 PM
How convenient!

COVID and the Green Agenda were already closely linked -- now they're practically saying "Give up meat, eat the bugs, and the COVID boogeyman won't get you!"

What's next? Good COVID outcomes associated with "Owning nothing and being happy"?
Title: Re: Wonder who paid for this study
Post by: Matto on June 09, 2021, 04:19:57 PM
Traditional Catholics should fast and abstain more.
Title: Re: Wonder who paid for this study
Post by: Romulus on June 09, 2021, 05:08:10 PM
Traditional Catholics should fast and abstain more.
But not out of fear from a scary cold
Title: Re: Wonder who paid for this study
Post by: Yeti on June 09, 2021, 05:56:12 PM
Vegetarianism is a classic hallmark of heathen superstition. Many of the proto-communists of the 19th century were vegetarians. Liberals today strongly favor veganism or vegetarianism as well. On the contrary, Christians (including protestants, though they are not encompassed by the term) believe that God gave the animal kingdom to man as food, when Noe landed after the Flood, IIRC, and eat animals without any qualms of conscience.
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As paganism increases on the earth, the more popular veganism and vegetarianism become, and the more it is forced on everyone as a way of life.
Title: Re: Wonder who paid for this study
Post by: Matto on June 09, 2021, 06:05:33 PM
On the contrary, Christians (including protestants, though they are not encompassed by the term) believe that God gave the animal kingdom to man as food, when Noe landed after the Flood, IIRC, and eat animals without any qualms of conscience.
Are you aware of the Christian traditions about fasting? What did St. Anthony of the desert eat? The closer one is to God the less meat he will eat. Fasting and abstinence used to be important to Catholics. Something I wish would come back. But true, not out of fear of the cold.
Title: Re: Wonder who paid for this study
Post by: Yeti on June 09, 2021, 06:32:47 PM
Okay, interesting point, but 1) they imposed that on themselves, not everyone else, except for the abstinence laws of the Church. It was a voluntary mortification. Whereas, vegetarians want to restrict meat production because it is "unethical". Also, 2) the motives could hardly be further apart. A modern-day heathen refrains from meat out of a belief in the sacredness of animal life (or a contempt for the status of man as the master of creation, it's basically six of one ...), and a contempt for the food God has provided for us in this world. An ascetic believes in the providence of God in providing meat to us, but offers it up as a sacrifice to God.
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I believe Chesterton made this distinction too. The pagan vegan rejects meat out of contempt for the God Who gave it to us and the food He has provided us in this world, while the Christian offers it up as a precious gift God has given us, and therefore it is a great sign of honor to God to forego such a wonderful gift.
Title: Re: Wonder who paid for this study
Post by: songbird on June 09, 2021, 08:27:30 PM
Laboratories are making "meat". And it ain't so good.
Title: Re: Wonder who paid for this study
Post by: donkath on June 09, 2021, 08:45:01 PM
Monks abstained from meat.