Relationship between Diet-Related Inflammation and Hospitalization Risk and Disease Severity in Patients with COVID-19

Zahra  Yari; Samira  Ebrahimof; Samira  Soltanieh; Marieh  Salavatizadeh; Sara  Karimi; Sussan K.  Ardestani; Sussan K.  Ardestani; Mohammadreza  Salehi; Soodeh Razeghi  Jahromi; Tooba  Ghazanfari; Azita  Hekmatdoost

doi:10.18502/jnfs.v9i4.16899

Zahra Yari Department of Nutrition Research, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute and Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Samira Ebrahimof Department of Nutrition Research, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute and Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Samira Soltanieh Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology, Research Institute Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
Marieh Salavatizadeh Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology, Research Institute Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
Sara Karimi Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology, Research Institute Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
Sussan K. Ardestani Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology, Research Institute Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
Sussan K. Ardestani Department of Immunology, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Mohammadreza Salehi Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Soodeh Razeghi Jahromi Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology, Research Institute Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran
Tooba Ghazanfari Department of Immunology, Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
Azita Hekmatdoost Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology, Research Institute Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran;

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jnfs.v9i4.16899

Keywords: COVID-19; Inflammation; Diet; Infections; Biomarkers.

Abstract

Background: Increased serum concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers in patients indicate a strong association between COVID-19 and inflammation. However, the association between diet-related inflammation and COVID-19 has been less investigated. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the inflammatory scores of the diet are associated with the severity of COVID-19 disease and the probability of hospitalization of patients. Methods: The authors conducted a cross-sectional study involving 141 patients with COVID-19. The empirical dietary inflammatory pattern (EDIP) and dietary inflammation scores (DIS) were calculated based on a 147-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. The association between serum levels of inflammatory biomarkers and diet-related inflammation was also investigated. Results: 74 inpatients and 87 outpatients participated in this study. Higher DIS scores were significantly associated with an increased risk of COVID-related hospitalization (Tertile3 vs. tertile1: OR = 3·62; 95 % CI 1·43 to 9·14, P=0·008 after fully adjustment). This association with EDIP was also observed, but it was not significant. Conclusion: The data from this provide evidence that a pro-inflammatory diet was associated with higher risk of hospitalization due to high severity of COVID-19.