Indian traditional diet may prevent COVID-19-related mortality: A narrative review

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the mortality rate in densely populated India was reportedly 5 to 8 times lower than in less populous western countries. An international team of scientists from India, Brazil, Jordan, Switzerland, and Saudi Arabia conducted the research suggesting that Indian dietary components suppress cytokine storm and other severity-related pathways of COVID-19 and may play a role in reducing the severity and mortality rates of COVID-19 in India compared to western populations. The findings indicated that the constituents of Indian diets, which ensure high iron and zinc concentrations in blood and ample fibre in foods, played a role in mitigating the severity of COVID-19 caused by carbon dioxide retention and lipopolysaccharide. This narrative review highlights various facets of Indian Traditional Diet which has helped in preventing COVID 19- related mortality.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• Diet
• Traditional
• Indian
• Mortality