DoH Study On COVID-19 Patients Reveals Those With Healthy Diet Recover Faster

Patients with COVID-19 leave the hospital faster if they maintain a healthy diet in normal life because their immune system is stronger to fight back against the virus, says a study by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, DoH.

The study on the lifestyle of COVID-19 patients, aged between 18 and 60 years, saw the participation of 1,038 persons, to understand and assess the relationship between the lifestyle of individuals who were infected with the virus and the severity of the symptoms associated with the infection.

The study found a statistically significant correlation between diet and length of stay in the hospital to treat the symptoms of COVID-19. It showed that patients who follow a healthy diet had a lower hospital stay duration than those who did not follow a healthy diet. Therefore, having a healthy diet is very important during the Covid-19 pandemic, as what we eat and drink can affect our body’s ability to fight and recover from viruses.

This study comes in line with DoH’s efforts to combat the COVID-19 virus and support the healthcare sector through research and evidence-based studies, which contributed to implementing the adequate approaches that ensure the health and safety of the community.

Sumaya Al Ameri, Section Head Complaints in Healthcare Quality at DoH, said, "The study has proven that adopting a healthy lifestyle contributes to boosting the body’s immunity system and strengthening its ability to fight and recover from diseases in general and complications associated with COVID-19 in particular. Our advice is to adopt a healthy diet consisting of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, low processed foods, high vitamins, minerals and bioactive phenolic compounds. There are other lifestyle habits that play a critical role in maintaining wellbeing, such as exercising regularly, getting adequate sleep and avoiding unhealthy habits such as smoking."

"The COVID-19 pandemic has changed many of our daily life routines and even though it is still not clear why some people are more prone to get infected with the virus than others, this study proved that there is a strong correlation between a healthy diet and the length of stay at the hospital," Al Ameri added.

The study included a structured questionnaire about demographics, lifestyle (food, exercise and smoking), as well as the duration of stay at the hospital.