• Mélanie Deschasaux-Tanguy, Bernard Srour, Laurent Bourhis, Nathalie Arnault, Nathalie Druesne-Pecollo, Younes Esseddik, de EdelenyiFabien SzaboFSSorbonne Paris Nord University, Inserm U1153, Inrae U1125, Cnam, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center - University of Paris (CRESS), Bobigny, France., Julien Allègre, Benjamin Allès, Valentina A Andreeva, Julia Baudry, Leopold K Fezeu, Pilar Galan, Chantal Julia, Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot, Sandrine Péneau, Serge Hercberg, Nathalie Bajos, Gianluca Severi, Marie Zins, Xavier de Lamballerie, Fabrice Carrat, Mathilde Touvier, and SAPRIS-SERO study group.
• Sorbonne Paris Nord University, Inserm U1153, Inrae U1125, Cnam, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center - University of Paris (CRESS), Bobigny, France.
• Bmc Med. 2021 Nov 30; 19 (1): 290290.

BackgroundNutritional factors are essential for the functioning of the immune system and could therefore play a role in COVID-19 but evidence is needed. Our objective was to study the associations between diet and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a large population-based sample.MethodsOur analyses were conducted in the French prospective NutriNet-Santé cohort study (2009-2020). Seroprevalence of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies was assessed by ELISA on dried blood spots. Dietary intakes were derived from repeated 24 h dietary records (at least 6) in the two years preceding the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in France (February 2020). Multi-adjusted logistic regression models were computed.ResultsA total of 7766 adults (70.3% women, mean age: 60.3 years) were included, among which 311 were positive for anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Dietary intakes of vitamin C (OR for 1 SD=0.86 (0.75-0.98), P=0.02), vitamin B9 (OR=0.84 (0.72-0.98), P=0.02), vitamin K (OR=0.86 (0.74-0.99), P=0.04), fibers (OR=0.84 (0.72-0.98), P=0.02), and fruit and vegetables (OR=0.85 (0.74-0.97), P=0.02) were associated to a decreased probability of SARS-CoV-2 infection while dietary intakes of calcium (OR=1.16 (1.01-1.35), P=0.04) and dairy products (OR=1.19 (1.06-1.33), P=0.002) associated to increased odds. No association was detected with other food groups or nutrients or with the overall diet quality.ConclusionsHigher dietary intakes of fruit and vegetables and, consistently, of vitamin C, folate, vitamin K and fibers were associated with a lower susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Beyond its established role in the prevention of non-communicable diseases, diet could therefore also contribute to prevent some infectious diseases such as COVID-19.© 2021. The Author(s).

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