No, the Keto Diet Won’t Protect You From COVID-19
The ways to protect yourself from coronavirus infection are simple and boring: wash your hands, avoid contact with people who might be sick … you know what it is . Some proponents of certain diets say that you also need to eat a certain way or take supplements, which, as far as we know, is not.
Here is a carnivore claiming that the vitamins in meat are essential for the immune system. Here’s an entrepreneur whose Twitter bio #KETO makes some convoluted arguments about metabolic syndrome and mortality rates. Somehow, people who have already promoted a certain diet – whatever that may be – have come to the conclusion that their favorite diet provides special protection against COVID-19.
Meanwhile, real doctors and scientists do not make such statements. Let me refer you again to the World Health Organization’s guidelines for protecting yourself , which include washing your hands and staying away from sick people. Not following a specific diet.
They mention in the paper about managing stress , maintaining “proper nutrition, sleep, exercise, and social contact.” This is in line with other general advice you’ve probably seen for protecting yourself from colds and seasonal flu every year. Take care of yourself physically and mentally, because it certainly won’t hurt.
This Harvard Health article goes a little deeper if you need additional reassurance. It basically ends up debunking the whole idea of ”strengthening” your immune system with diet, because you can’t . They say eat a diet high in fruits and vegetables and consider multivitamins if you’re still worried about it. Here is a summary of their state of the art research:
Scientists have long recognized that people living in poverty and malnourishment are more vulnerable to infectious diseases. However, it is unclear whether the increased incidence is due to the effects of malnutrition on the immune system. There is still relatively little research into the effects of nutrition on the human immune system, and even fewer studies that directly link the effects of nutrition to the development (rather than treatment) of disease.
Bottom line, if you are on a particularly poor diet – for example, undernourished or regularly skipping vitamins – it can weaken your immune system a little. This does not mean that you need to eat keto or anything else. It only means that if you are consuming several cups of ramen a day, you should probably broaden your mind and make sure you eat like a normal person.