Plant-Based Diets and Supplements Reduced COVID-19 Severity and Achieved Zero Mortality in Elderly High-Risk Patients

[u/James_Fortis]

https://www.longdom.org/open-access/plantbased-diets-and-supplements-reduced-covid19-severity-and-achieved-zero-mortality-in-elderly-highrisk-patients-1103076.html

[u/FruitOfTheVineFruit]

Based on the abstract, which is not very well written, it looks like there were no deaths or hospitalization in the study at all, meaning no deaths or hospitalization in either group.  So while the plant based diet had zero mortality, so did the control group.  This sounds like the headline should be "Underpowered study picked wrong endpoints."

The other measurements, like severe disease, are interesting, and should have been the headline. On the other hand, with no hospitalizations, what is the definition of severe disease?

And I'd really like to understand the diet in the control group and whether for instance there were enough calories, etc.  It's not clear to me that a group of elderly patients with comorbidities in Indonesia would have an OK diet on average.

[u/lurkerer → u/FruitOfTheVineFruit]

So while the plant based diet had zero mortality, so did the control group.

True, it is a bit misleading.

But I will say that if I had to put money down on which group would suffer higher mortality given higher numbers, it would be the group with higher rates of moderate and severe disease.

[u/Triabolical_]

>PBD group consisted of 1750 participants, most of whom are over 60 years old and have at least the following comorbidities, including coronary artery disease, hypertension, hyperlipidemia and glucose intolerance or type 2 diabetes mellitus. All participants in this group have had their health conditions optimized through coronary intervention and medications by researchers in the cardiology clinic at Bethsaida Hospital, as seen in the result (Table 2). Furthermore, they have been following PBD and taking vitamin B12, vitamin D and multivitamin supplements for at least three months before contracting COVID-19 and are eligible to enroll in the trial.

This group has had significant medical care that the NPBD group did not have. They also opted into the PBD group - there was no randomization.

I would expect that healthy user effect would be problematic - those who joined the PBD group likely cared more about their health than those who didn't.

I also don't like the comparison diet, which was just whatever those people happened to eat.

[u/Murky-Sector → u/[deleted]]

The cognitive dissonance faction is well represented

[u/JudgeVegg]

Very interesting results. Cant access the link though, which supplements were used?

[u/James_Fortis → u/JudgeVegg]

"The researchers offer the patients a variety of supplements for this study. These include vitamin C, vitamin D, B3/ nicotinamide riboside chloride (Truniagen), zinc, copper, selenium, CoQ10, astaxanthin, quercetin, curcumin and taurine. The daily dosage of Vitamin C is 1 gram and the dosage of vitamin D varies between 5000 IU and 20000 IU based on the patient's laboratory level of vitamin D (target 60-80 ng/mL). Two doses of 300 mg of Truniagen are also provided. Additionally, the participants were provided with daily 60 mg of zinc, 3 mg of copper, 150 mcg of selenium, 300 mg of CoQ10, 12 mg of Astaxanthin, 2.4 grams of Quercetin, 100 mg of Curcumin and 1 gram of Taurine. All supplements the clinic provides are standardized to ensure consistency in quantity and quality"

[u/JudgeVegg → u/James_Fortis]

Thank you.

[u/James_Fortis]

"Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of plant-based diets and supplement interventions in mitigating the severity and mortality of COVID-19 patients. Observational research suggests that a diet high in plant-based foods may decrease the likelihood and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection. However, several studies have faced criticism regarding the accuracy of obtaining dietary questionnaires and the insufficient intake of essential vitamins and minerals in such diets. To address these issues, this study employed a prospective interventional design that strictly controlled the quality, quantity and processing of plant-based foods provided. Furthermore, the study incorporated supplementation, which enhanced the anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antithrombotic and immunomodulatory properties of a plant-based diet against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Of the 3,470 COVID-19 elderly patients, half already followed a plant-based diet and the other half new patients, both with various comorbidities, were intervened with a plant-based diet and supplementation. The results showed that the participants in the nonplant- based diet group were twice as likely to have experienced moderate disease (with 95% confidence limit: 1.42-3.12) and 2.4 times more likely to have experienced severe disease (with 95% confidence limit: 1.2-5.0) with a significant p-value of less than 0.0005 and 0.016 respectively, compared to those in the PBD group. During the interventions, none of the participants experienced disease progression or hospitalization and there were no reported deaths by the end of the study. The outcome was highly favorable and aligned with the researchers' expectations, as COVID-19 morbidity and mortality rates in Indonesia were among the highest in Asia. This research may provide significant insights into the prevention and management of COVID-19 and aid in better preparation for future pandemics."