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Nutrients
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Effect of Intermittent Fasting and Dietary Choices on COVID-19
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Effect of Intermittent Fasting and Dietary Choices on COVID-19

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutritional Epidemiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 19658

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Benjamin D. Horne

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Director, Cardiovascular and Genetic Epidemiology, Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute, Salt Lake City, UT 84107, USA
2. Clinical Associate Professor, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
Interests: intermittent fasting; epidemiology; genetics, coronary heart disease; diabetes/metabolism
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The value of intermittent fasting in health improvement is perceived to be greater than simply the possibility of weight loss and its associated cardiometabolic improvements. Limited evidence in humans has provided a basis for the use of intermittent fasting to provide a higher quality of life, in addition to the increasing evidence that fasting reduces the risk of diseases that lead to death (e.g., coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes). The influence of fasting and other methods of energy restriction on health outcomes of infectious diseases is one area in which a paucity of data exist, although initial evidence suggests that it deserves further attention in humans. Specifically, the human response to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the severity of the disease that it causes, coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), may be affected by energy restriction. Given the global effect of COVID-19, the likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 becoming endemic in human populations, and the potential for other epidemics and pandemics in the future, the development and publication of data that enlighten any effect of fasting and other nutritional choices on COVID-19 and other infectious diseases are of immense importance.

For this Special Issue of Nutrients, we are seeking review articles and original research studies regarding the influence of intermittent fasting, other nutritional choices, or any dietary interventions that may impact infectious diseases. Special emphasis will be given to papers that address COVID-19 and human studies. Animal and laboratory studies are also welcome. This includes observational cohort studies using the vast data that have been collected during the COVID-19 pandemic, secondary analyses of data from randomized trials that were conducted during the pandemic for other purposes but also collected nutrition information, and randomized trials that originated for the purpose of studying fasting and COVID-19 outcomes. The Special Issue will also address studies concerning the safety of fasting or energy restriction during an acute infection, the quality of life that fasting may provide, and the perception of health that fasting may change since value-based medicine considers not just the efficacy of an intervention, but also the change in the quality of life that it imbues and the safety that it maintains. Quality of life is, for example, greatly impacted by cognitive function, physical function, and mental health. If intermittent fasting increases longevity, such concerns  are of eminent importance. The post-acute sequelae of COVID-19, or long COVID, may also reduce quality of life; thus any impact of fasting on long COVID would be of substantial value. Papers addressing the relative effects of different intermittent fasting regimens are encouraged.

Dr. Benjamin D. Horne
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • post-acute sequelae of COVID-19
  • long COVID

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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7 pages, 264 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Ramadan and COVID-19 on the Relationship between Physical Activity and Burnout among Teachers
by Maamer Slimani, Hela Znazen, Fairouz Azaiez and Nicola Luigi Bragazzi
Nutrients 2022, 14(13), 2648; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14132648 - 26 Jun 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1737
Abstract
The objective of this study was to explore the effect of COVID-19 and Ramadan on physical activity (PA) and burnout in teachers and the relationship between them. A total of 57 secondary school teachers from public education centers participated in the present study. [...] Read more.
The objective of this study was to explore the effect of COVID-19 and Ramadan on physical activity (PA) and burnout in teachers and the relationship between them. A total of 57 secondary school teachers from public education centers participated in the present study. They were aged between 29 and 52 years. To determine the effect of Ramadan and COVID-19 on PA and burnout, participants completed the online questionnaires before COVID-19, one week before Ramadan and during the second week of Ramadan. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire-BREF and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey were used to assess PA intensities and burnout, respectively. The data revealed that total PA (p < 0.001, p < 0.05, respectively) vigorous metabolic equivalent of task (MET) (p < 0.001, p < 0.05, respectively), moderate MET (p < 0.001, p < 0.01, respectively) were higher before COVID-19 and before Ramadan than during Ramadan. Regarding burnout subscales, emotional exhaustion (p < 0.001, p < 0.01, respectively) was higher before Ramadan than before COVID-19 and during Ramadan. A lower personal accomplishment was reported before Ramadan than before COVID-19 and during Ramadan (both p < 0.05). In addition, low to high correlations were observed between PA intensities and burnout subscales, except for the correlation between depersonalization and all PA intensities. In conclusion, Ramadan intermittent fasting along with PA was highly recommended for teachers and the general population to improve positive emotions and general health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effect of Intermittent Fasting and Dietary Choices on COVID-19)

Review

Jump to: Research

14 pages, 812 KiB  
Review
The Role of Nutrition in Mitigating the Effects of COVID-19 from Infection through PASC
by Jacob T. Mey, John P. Kirwan and Christopher L. Axelrod
Nutrients 2023, 15(4), 866; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15040866 - 08 Feb 2023
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 4751
Abstract
The expansive and rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has resulted in a global pandemic of COVID-19 infection and disease. Though initially perceived to be acute in nature, many patients report persistent and recurrent symptoms beyond the infectious period. Emerging as a new [...] Read more.
The expansive and rapid spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has resulted in a global pandemic of COVID-19 infection and disease. Though initially perceived to be acute in nature, many patients report persistent and recurrent symptoms beyond the infectious period. Emerging as a new epidemic, “long-COVID”, or post-acute sequelae of coronavirus disease (PASC), has substantially altered the lives of millions of people globally. Symptoms of both COVID-19 and PASC are individual, but share commonality to established respiratory viruses, which include but are not limited to chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, along with adverse metabolic and pulmonary health effects. Nutrition plays a critical role in immune function and metabolic health and thus is implicated in reducing risk or severity of symptoms for both COVID-19 and PASC. However, despite the impact of nutrition on these key physiological functions related to COVID-19 and PASC, the precise role of nutrition in COVID-19 infection and PASC onset or severity remains to be elucidated. This narrative review will discuss established and emerging nutrition approaches that may play a role in COVID-19 and PASC, with references to the established nutrition and clinical practice guidelines that should remain the primary resources for patients and practitioners. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effect of Intermittent Fasting and Dietary Choices on COVID-19)
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17 pages, 1611 KiB  
Review
Pathogenic Mechanisms of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 and Potential Direct and Indirect Counteractions by Intermittent Fasting
by Benjamin D. Horne and Thomas Bunker
Nutrients 2023, 15(1), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15010020 - 21 Dec 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3387
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created an unprecedented burden on human health and on the function and interaction of societies across the globe. Public health preventive measures, vaccines, and antivirals were key components of the world-wide response to the health emergency. Due [...] Read more.
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created an unprecedented burden on human health and on the function and interaction of societies across the globe. Public health preventive measures, vaccines, and antivirals were key components of the world-wide response to the health emergency. Due to the uncoordinated and variably successful response to COVID-19 and the ability of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to rapidly mutate, SARS-CoV-2 continues to create considerable difficulty for humanity today. Additional preventive or therapeutic modalities are needed to help people to achieve the best possible health outcomes in the context of the evolving COVID-19 threat. Intermittent fasting is a potential complementary therapy that not only impacts chronic disease risk but also has good evidence of an impact on infectious diseases. While the data regarding fasting and COVID-19 outcomes are very limited, the conceptual connection of fasting to better outcomes includes a variety of mechanisms in human biology. This paper reviews the known mechanisms of disease impacted by SARS-CoV-2 infection and the potential or likely direct or indirect counteractions that fasting may provide that may reduce the severity of COVID-19 and help to realize the best possible health outcomes. Furthermore, fasting adds no financial cost to a care plan and, when practiced safely, is available to most adults without limitation. Further research is needed on the impact of intermittent fasting on human health in the fight against infectious diseases including COVID-19. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effect of Intermittent Fasting and Dietary Choices on COVID-19)
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20 pages, 362 KiB  
Review
Importance of Intermittent Fasting Regimens and Selection of Adequate Therapy on Inflammation and Oxidative Stress in SARS-CoV-2 Infection
by Armin Ezzati, Sara K. Rosenkranz and Benjamin D. Horne
Nutrients 2022, 14(20), 4299; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14204299 - 14 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3240
Abstract
The unpredictable nature of new variants of coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)—highly transmissible and some with vaccine-resistance, have led to an increased need for feasible lifestyle modifications as complementary therapies. Systemic inflammation is the common hallmark of communicable diseases like severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) [...] Read more.
The unpredictable nature of new variants of coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)—highly transmissible and some with vaccine-resistance, have led to an increased need for feasible lifestyle modifications as complementary therapies. Systemic inflammation is the common hallmark of communicable diseases like severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases (CVD), diabetes mellitus, and cancers, all for which mitigation of severe outcomes is of paramount importance. Dietary quality is associated with NCDs, and intermittent fasting (IF) has been suggested as an effective approach for treatment and prevention of some NCDs, similar to that of caloric restriction. There is a paucity of high-quality data from randomized controlled trials regarding the impact of IF and the intake of specific nutrients on inflammation and post-infection outcomes in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The current review of recent literature was performed to explore the immunomodulatory roles of IF regimens and supplements involving the intake of specific nutrients including vitamins (A, B, C, D, and E), zinc, and nutraceuticals (n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, quercetin, and probiotics) on inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, with consideration of how they may be related to SARS-CoV-2. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Effect of Intermittent Fasting and Dietary Choices on COVID-19)
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