The dark side of the spoon - glucose, ketones and COVID-19: a possible role for ketogenic diet?
J Transl Med
; 18(1): 441, 2020 11 20.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-940022
ABSTRACT
The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is posing a serious challenge to the health-care systems worldwide, with an enormous impact on health conditions and loss of lives. Notably, obesity and its related comorbidities are strictly related with worse clinical outcomes of COVID-19 disease. Recently, there is a growing interest in the clinical use of ketogenic diets (KDs), particularly in the context of severe obesity with related metabolic complications. KDs have been proven effective for a rapid reduction of fat mass, preserving lean mass and providing an adequate nutritional status. In particular, the physiological increase in plasma levels of ketone bodies exerts important anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating effects, which may reveal as precious tools to prevent infection and potential adverse outcomes of COVID-19 disease. We discuss here the importance of KDs for a rapid reduction of several critical risk factors for COVID-19, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and hypertension, based on the known effects of ketone bodies on inflammation, immunity, metabolic profile and cardiovascular function. We do believe that a rapid reduction of all modifiable risk factors, especially obesity with its metabolic complications, should be a pillar of public health policies and interventions, in view of future waves of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pneumonia, Viral
/
Coronavirus Infections
/
Diet, Ketogenic
/
Betacoronavirus
/
Glucose
/
Ketones
Type of study:
Prognostic study
Limits:
Humans
Language:
English
Journal:
J Transl Med
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
S12967-020-02600-9
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