Does coffee consumption affect Covid-19? [study]

COFFEE, HEALTH AND CIVILISATION DISEASES

You'veprobably heard about the effects of coffee consumption on cancer, diabetes, heart attacks, Alzheimer's disease and even constipation. These are all so-called diseases of civilisation, which are mainly found in Europe, North America or some Asian countries. They are often caused by high levels of stress, excessive alcohol and junk food consumption, or lack of exercise and sleep, in short, an unhealthy lifestyle, and also, in many cases, excessive consumption of coffee or, primarily, caffeine. This promotes the accumulation of radicals in our bodies, which then reduce the levels of antioxidants. Drinking coffee in the right amount, which is individual for each of us, acts as a significant antioxidant and helps to eliminate the amount of free radicals.

COVID-19 AND OUR DIET

Covid-19, however, is a viral disease. Diseases such as smallpox, mononucleosis, shingles or influenza are of the same kind. If you are debilitated, you are more likely to get one of these diseases as well. In addition to stress, weakness can stem from our poor and unbalanced diets. There is no doubt that what weeat and drink has aneffect on our immunity, in addition to our mental well-being . The latter plays a key role in an individual's susceptibility and response to infectious diseases, including COVID-19.

RESEARCH ON THE IMPACT OF COFFEE CONSUMPTION ON COVID-19 VIRUSES [study]

Until now, most research in relation to COVID-19 has focused on people who have already tested positive, but the UK has decided to change this. How nutrition specifically relates to immunity and susceptibility to COVID-19 was unclear. So the research was undertaken by UK researchers from Northwestern University who looked at the association between specific dietary data and the incidence of COVID-19. The participants were people aged40-70 years. In addition to coffee consumption, they took into account whether the participants had been breastfed during childhood, and whether they ate vegetables, fruits and processed meats.

The research was conducted between March and November 2020. The research was conducted among British citizens registered with the UK Biobank, which investigates how genetic predisposition and environmental influences (including diet, lifestyle, medications, etc.) contribute to disease. In total, just under 38,000 participants were surveyed , of whom 17% tested positive by PCR .

PROGRESS OF THE RESEARCH ON THE EFFECT OF COFFEE ON COVID-19

Participants were asked to indicate the amount of each food and drink they consumed or to select one of the predetermined frequencies, such as once a day, etc. Theoptions included basic portions of vegetables (cooked, raw), fruit (fresh, dried), oily fish, processed meat, red meat (beef, lamb/skin or pork), tea and coffee. Thus, foods and drinks that contribute to the strength of immunity. Participants were also asked if theyhad been breastfed as a child. They could answer yes, no or don't know.

Many other factors were also taken into account, such as gender, body weight, occupation and of course current health status, including if the participant had impaired lung function, which has a strong influence on COVID-19 infection.

As for the test group, the younger age group included mainly women, employed and with better education, higher income and better assessed health status. They were less likely to consume tea, fruit, vegetables, fish and red meat and fewer of them were breastfed. Compared tonon-white participants, white participants tended to consume more coffee, tea, processed meat, fewer fruits and vegetables, and fewer were breastfed.

Among non-white participants, black participants were more likely to be employed, have a higher BMI, and consume more red meat, while Asian participants tended to report poorer health and consume more fruits and vegetables. The Asian group also had a higher prevalence of COVID-19 positivity than the other racial groups.

The entire pandemic affected coffee shops, among many other areas. Many people started making coffee at home. But now it's time to support our favorite businesses again. Coffee shop coffee just tastes different. Source: Nathan Dumlao | unsplash.com

DOES COFFEE HAVE AN EFFECT ON REDUCING THE RISK OF CONTRACTING COVID-19?

After adjusting for age, race, and gender, drinking coffee, moderate tea, fatty fish and vegetables, and breastfeeding during childhood were significantly associated with lower odds of COVID-19 positivity, while eating processed meat was associated with higher odds of COVID-19 positivity.

Among participants, habitual consumption of 1 or more cups of coffee/daywas associated with approximately 10% reduction in risk of COVID-19 compared with less than 1 cup/day. Coffee is not only a key source of caffeine, but also contributes dozens of other components, including many substances involved in immunity.